Living With the Hero
by BlakBlt2
Summary: Set after the Imprisoning War. Link has finally defeated Ganondorf, and just wants to settle down to a semi-normal life. But nothing can ever be normal when you're the Hero of Time. Malon x Link. Rated M, because that's where I'm going to take it.
1. Victory for a Hero

**Disclaimer: I do not own, Link, Zelda, Ganondorf, or any of the other characters or locations presented in this story. All rights belong to Nintendo. The ideas, however, are mine.**

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**Chapter 1: The End of the War**

The roar of the demon boar could be heard throughout the ruins of Ganon's Castle. Link was sure that whatever it was that occupied the old drawbridge shack could hear the sounds of his duel with the creature that was once Ganondorf. Now…now he didn't know what to call this thing before him.

"Give it up, Hero of Time! The Triforce will be mine, and I will spread my power across the borders of this land, and through the world!" cried Ganondorf.

Link didn't bother to respond, and instead fired another Light Arrow at Ganondorf's face, and was gladdened to hear him cry out when the arrow found its mark. He took this opportunity to slide between Ganondorf's legs, and brought the Megaton Hammer to bear. A few quick strikes to the tail of this thing, and Ganondorf cried out again. The magical fire he had summoned to cut them off from Zelda died down.

"_That last volley must have knocked him unconscious._" thought Link. He didn't waste the chance he had, and rushed over to where Zelda was standing beside the Master Sword.

"How long is this going to take?" Link questioned. "That was the fifth arrow I've shot at that thing, and every time it just gets back up!"

"I don't know, Link. It's not like I've never encountered this kind of thing before. It's not like I spent the last seven years fighting big ass demons. Just learning to imitate the Sheikah" Zelda shot back at him.

"Oh, funny, princess. Here I am hitting this 'big ass demon' with a hammer, and you're finding the time to throw out some wise cracks. At least you can still find humor in this situation." Shouted Link, as he pulled the Master Sword out of the rubble and ran back towards Ganondorf.

Link was intending to deal the final blow, but Ganondorf was already getting up from the last round of the fight. And so, Link sheathed his blade, and pulled out the Fairy Bow from the magic pouch he'd had with him for as long as he could remember. It was the only thing his mother had left with him when she brought him to the forest, or so the Great Deku Tree had told him once when he'd asked about it. It was one of the few things that he really treasured. The one thing from his mother. Another was the ocarina Saria had given him. She had been his only real friend in the forest, and it was the last gift she'd given him. He treasured it, because he'd probably never get to see her again, now that she's a sage.

But the last item he'd held onto was fairly recent. It had been a gift. He'd made a promise, and she'd given him this.

--Flashback--

"_This is my favorite scarf Link." she told him as she tied the scarf to his arm. "I want you to hold onto it for me, but I expect you to bring it back. And so help me Din, if anything happens to it…I don't know what I'll do to you. Just promise that you'll come back."_

"_I promise." Link told her. "And I won't let anything happen to your scarf. I'll keep it right here" he said, gesturing to where she'd tied it. "I'll see you later…"_

--Flashback--

He didn't have the time to dwell on that, though, as Ganondorf swung one of his massive swords at the Hero. Link barely had time to jump out of the way as the sword stuck itself in the ground.

"_Note to self. No flashbacks while fighting giant demons." _Link thought, as he stared at his reflection in the giant blade. "_I think I lost a few hairs on that one._"

Link nocked another arrow to his bow, and muttered the spell under his breath as he let the arrow fly. It burst into light about halfway through its flight, but Ganondorf was faster, and brought his other sword up. Link could just stare as the Light Arrow, which was supposedly the only thing that could stun Ganondorf, bounced harmlessly off the freaking sword!

Link, momentarily forgetting the threat that Ganondorf posed, spun around to stare at Zelda, and glared at her.

"What the hell, princess! I thought these freaking arrows were magic!"

"They are!" she screamed back. "But it's still an arrow. You can't expect it to pierce a sword, can you?"

"You can't expect it to blah blah blah." Link mocked as he turned back around to face Ganondorf.

"Link, give Zelda a break. She can't be expected to know the ins and outs of these things" Navi chimed in. "Like she said, it's not like she spent the last seven years fighting big ass demons."

"Hero of Time, face me!!" cried Ganondorf. "I did not spend ten years planning my take over just to have you end it! And now you mock me? Have you not discovered that your pitiful arrows are useless? There is no way you can win!"

"Navi, I think he might be right. There's no way I can get to that jewel in his head if I can't put him on his knees. And the only thing that did that was the arrows." Link whispered to his fairy companion.

"Well, you can't just give up. You spent that last few months fighting evil, surely something you did then can help you now." she retorted.

"_If I can't bring his head to me, how can I bring myself to his head? Something about one of my fights? But when did I ever fight an enemy I couldn't hit?"_ Link mused as he continued to dodge around the arena. Suddenly, as one of Ganondorf's swords collided with the ground next to him, Link remembered the one fight he'd had that could help him.

"_It's not someone that I couldn't hit! It's someone who couldn't hit me! And how did he get over that? That's it!" _It was instantly all very clear to Link.

And so, Link stopped running around the arena, which, of course attracted the attention of the three others around. One of which floated in front of his face and started freaking out.

"Link! What the fuck are you doing? Why are you just standing here?" Navi screamed at him.

"I have a plan. Just go along with it." Link responded, low enough that Ganondorf wouldn't hear him.

"Ah, Hero. Have you finally realized that your fight is useless? Have you finally accepted that there is no way for you to defeat me? Are you finally prepared to give me your piece of the Triforce? I will make you a deal. I will extract the Triforce from your body, quite the painful experience, I can assure you, and then you'll be free to walk away. All I want from you is the Triforce. Without it, you are useless." Ganondorf slowly made his way across the arena to Link, and raised his sword, prepared to strike Link down.

He brought it down with all the strength and speed he could muster. Link, however, was hoping for Ganondorf to do exactly this, and sidestepped to his right just as the sword embedded itself in the ground beside him. Link held his ground through the blast of wind that accompanied Ganondorf's strike, and then, as soon as he could freely move, jumped on the sword and rushed up the demon's arm. Once Link reached the shoulder, he pulled the Master Sword from its sheath and leapt towards Gonondorf's forehead. Ganondorf, too surprised by this final move of Link's, could only watch in awe and fear as Link plunged the Master Sword deep into his forehead. Pain exploded throughout his body, and he could feel the life force seeping from his body as he slumped forward, first to his knees, and finally onto his stomach. Link barely had time to plant his feet on the ground and yank the Master Sword from Ganondorf's head before Zelda shouted at him.

"Link, get out of the way! You've done your part, now it's our turn." Zelda hollered.

Link could only stand by and watch as the Sages appeared in a circle around the fallen demon and began to chant. He watched as each sage began to glow with the power they were calling forth and began to direct it at Ganondorf. He began to fade into the power of the Sages, and Link knew that they were trapping Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm that he had tainted all those years ago. As he faded out of sight, Link heard his final words echo on the wind.

"_YOU...CURSE YOU...ZELDA! CURSE YOU...SAGES!! CURSE YOU...Link! Someday... When this seal is broken...That is when I will exterminate your descendants!! As long as the Triforce of Power is in my hand..."_

And then Link could hear no more. He looked around him, and noticed that he no longer stood in the ruined castle. In fact, he didn't think he was anywhere in Hyrule. Everything was gone. He was just floating here.

"Am I dead?" Link asked out loud, to no one in particular, since no one appeared to be around.

"No Link. I just needed to talk to you in private." Was the reply that seemed to come from nowhere, and yet, at the same time, everywhere.

"Then where are we?" Link queried, as he looked around and finally spotted Zelda, floating in front of him.

"_How dense am I to have missed her? She was right there! I really must be an idiot, even if I am a hero." _Link was mortified at how blind he was.

"Nowhere in particular." Zelda explained. "All the tragedy that has befallen Hyrule was my doing... I was so young...I could not comprehend the consequences of trying to control the Sacred Realm. I dragged you into it, too. Now it is time for me to make up for my mistakes... You must lay the Master Sword to rest and close the Door of Time... However, by doing this, the road between times will be closed... Link,

give the Ocarina to me... As a Sage, I can return you to your original time with it."

"You know, Zelda, that's a great offer." Link responded. "But…I really think I'm going to have to turn you down on that offer"

"Link, are you sure? I mean, it is your childhood, after all. Is this really what you want?" Zelda asked, shocked. It was obvious that she'd expected him to take her up on the offer.

"I just don't think that I'd fit in back then. I've been through too much as it is. I think I've lost my childhood innocence. And besides, there are some people here that I just couldn't bring myself to leave." Link finally answered.

"Well, if that's your decision, there's nothing I can do but honor it. Very well, we'll just head back then." Zelda told the intrepid hero.

And so, Link found himself standing in Kakariko Village, just outside the Shadow Temple, along with Zelda. As he started to climb over the small fence in front of him and jump into the graveyard, he stopped when he felt Zelda's hand on his shoulder.

"Link, it's going to be a long road in order to restore Hyrule to its former glory. And we can't do anything to Castle Town until the Redeads are cleared out. I'd like to give you one last task, Hero of Time."

"And what would that be, princess?" Link asked

"I would like to ask you to clear Hyrule of the monsters that inhabit it, starting with Castle Town. Now that Ganondorf is locked in the Sacred Realm, his magic can no longer reanimate the monsters that you take down. And once the monsters are gone, the rebuilding can begin in earnest." the Princess answered.

"Zelda, I would gladly take on this task that you give to me. But first, there is someone that I need to visit. I have something that I have to return to someone very special. " Link responded.

"I can hardly turn you down after all you've done for this land. I would appreciate it if you could get started as soon as possible. Can I expect something by the end of the week?"

"Well, today is Sunday, right? That would give me the next five days. I think I can have Castle Town cleared out by then. It shouldn't be a problem. After that, I'll clear out Death Mountain and Zora's River, and then I'll go to Lake Hylia. Those would have to the places that are going to be most used. The Lost Woods have always been inhabited by monsters, so there's no changing that. And there's nothing to be done about the temples right now. Correct?" Link asked of the princess. "Does that about right?"

"That would be perfect Link." Zelda responded. "If you could do that, then we can rebuild everything that Ganondorf destroyed. Eventually, I'd like to clear out the temples too, but that doesn't have to be done anytime soon. So go, and spend some time with this girl who means so much to you.

"Thank you, princess. I will. Where can I find you once I've cleared out Castle Town?"

"I shall be staying with Darunia in Goron City. I was able to speak to him while I was in hiding, and he agreed to let me stay with him while we rebuilt the town. He also promised the assistance of the Gorons in the rebuilding effort." Zelda answered Link.

With that, Link turned around, and walked out of the town. Zelda had no idea where he was headed, but knew that she would see him again at the end of the week.

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**And Fin. This is the first chapter in what will hopefully be a multiple chapter Malink story. Obviously, as you have figured out, the scarf is Malon's. The inspiration for that little part of the story, as well as what happens when Link returns it, came from an episode of Rurouni Kenshin. It made me laugh, so I decided tho throw it in. For those of you who have seen that particular episode, you already know what's going to happen. Those of you that haven't, you'll just have to wait.**

**Please, read and review. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but flaming isn't appreciated.**

**I'm always willing to take ideas. If there's something you want me to incorporate into a future, please just say it in a review. My ideas only last so long. Leave your name with it, and if I use it, you'll get the credit.**


	2. Confessing to a Hero

**Disclaimer: Once again, all characters in the story are property of Nintendo. The ideas are still mine.**

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**Chapter 2: A Talk, A Declaration, And A Smackdown**

Link had just walked down the stairs of Kakariko Village into Hyrule Field. He wanted to get going as soon as possible, and so he pulled out the Ocarina of time. As he started to play Epona's song, he suddenly thought back to the day, seven years ago, when he had first been taught that song.

--Flashback--

_"My mother composed this song. Isn't it nice? Let's sing it together."_

--Flashback--

Link could remember everything about that day as vividly as if it had happened yesterday. And, well, it hadn't been all that long ago for him. A couple of months, really. But for her...

He felt guilty. They'd been best friends when the two of them were ten, even though they'd only known each other for a few weeks. He'd had a major culture shock the moment that he'd walked into Castle Town, and she'd been the only person who was kind enough to take some time to help someone else. She'd showed him the way to the castle, and asked him a simple favor in return. Just find her dad. And she'd even helped him again, once the guards had thrown him out on his ass for asking to see Zelda.

As soon as he'd talked to Zelda, he'd decided to go see just what this ranch was all about. it had captivated him as soon as he stepped foot inside the gate. So peaceful. Not at all like the hustle and bustle of Castle Town. He was more used to this.

She'd been there in the field, with the horses. He'd run over again, just to thank her for everything she'd done for him the day before. The little horse she was singing to bolted as soon as he'd gotten within ten feet.

"_Skittish_" he'd thought.

And then, he had to go and get locked in the Sacred Realm for seven years. It's not like he'd wanted to stay there, he had no choice. He still held a grudge against Rauru for that. And he made sure that the old man knew it, every time he'd awakened another Sage.

But there was nothing he could do about it. All that he could do was head to the ranch to make sure everything was okay. It'd shocked him, to say the least. The ranch had fallen into disrepair in the time he'd been gone. Ingo had taken over and kicked Talon out. He forced Malon to do all the work, and she went along with it, for the sake of the animals. Link knew that she never would have left the animals to the cruelty of Ingo. All she'd asked of him was to save the animals. And he knew that it would put a smile on her face if he did. That was the only motivation that he needed. He had done it that day. It wasn't something he was proud of, and he certainly would never tell Malon what he'd actually done to Ingo. For all she knew, Link had simply won Epona in a race, and Ingo had turned over the ranch to escape the wrath of Ganondorf, and then left. The truth was much harsher than that.

--Flashback--

_"Who are you? Where are you taking me? What are you going to do to me?" Ingo screamed._

_"You do not need to know who I am. Soon, it won't matter. As to where we're going, that would be Lake Hylia. No one will find you there." Link responded._

_When they reached the lake, Link was surprised to find it in the state it was in. The clear blue water that had filled the lake when he was a boy had all but left. it was a mere shadow of its former glory. But it would still do. Link led Ingo over the bridges, and to the island in the center of the lake. Link forced Ingo to his knees on the platform that covered the center of the island, and pulled the Master Sword from its sheath. This would be the first time he'd use it. As he placed the flat of the sword on Ingo's shoulder, Link could see understanding grace Ingo's black eyes._

_"Why?" was all that Ingo asked._

_"For her." Link answered as he brought the sword through Ingo's neck._

_He left as Ingo's body floated to the bottom of the lake, weighted down by rocks._

--Flashback--

Of course, he hadn't realized that he'd be coming back to Lake Hylia again. He could have sworn that he'd seen a pile of bones as he walked toward the Water Temple.

But that was the past, and Link didn't regret what he had done. He'd done it for the good of the ranch, but more importantly, he had done it for her, just as he'd told Ingo.

Link looked up, and was surprised to see that he was closing in on the ranch. He must have been reminiscing longer than he'd thought. Not that it was a bad thing. He really hadn't been looking forward to the traveling he'd have to go through to get to the ranch. He'd had enough of traveling, especially since there was no place in Hyrule he hadn't seen over the last few months. He was looking forward to a nice, long vacation, and he knew just where he'd like to take it. The sun was just starting to dip below the mountain range as he guided Epona through the wrought iron gates that protected the ranch in times of danger. He brought Epona to a halt just outside the stable, and let her roam, as he listened. Soon, faintly in the distance, he could hear someone singing. He knew right away that is was her. Talon couldn't sing, that was for sure. Link shuddered as he remembered that.

"_I couldn't hear anything for a week. Never go to a karaoke bar with Talon. Especially if he's going to get drunk." _Link thought as he made his was out toward the horse field.

Link decided that he wanted to surprise Malon, instead of walking right up to her. He looked around the ranch, and finally decided on his plan of attack. He could just make Malon out in the center of the field, and so he snuck through the shadows by the fence around the small shack that was built into the smaller fence around the field. He pulled out his longshot, and latched onto the wall. Pulling himself onto the roof, he took the tip of the longshot as sunk it into the underside of the ceiling he was perched on.

"_Now I just have to get her to walk over here. But how?"_ Link asked himself.

He decided to bring his ocarina to his lips and play.

Little did Link know that Epona had found her way into the field as he was making his was around the back, and so his cover had effectively been blown. But as soon as she heard her mother's song being played on an ocarina, she decided that she would play along, if only for Link. He seemed to have gone to alot of trouble to surprise her, after all.

And so, she lifted her head and looked around. Her ears soon discovered that the song was coming from the little covered seat her father had built over by the fence.

"_He's got to be hiding on the roof._" she thought. "_He's really going all out this time._"

As she made her way over to the seat, Lin grinned in triumph. His plan had worked. Of course she would investigate her mother's song. As soon as she sat down, Link cautiously made his way to the front of the roof and grabbed the longshot. He was just about to lower himself down, right in front of her face, when...

"You know, it's alot more comfortable down here, instead of up on the roof." she said.

Link was so startled that he lost his grip on the roof, and tumbled to the ground with a thud and a gasp.

"Ow...Okay, Malon, what gave me away?" Link asked her as he sat up, rubbing his head where it had connected with the ground.

"Oh Link, I'm sorry. I really didn't mean for you to get hurt. Come here, and I'll make it better." Malon told him.

"Well, how can I refuse an offer like that? But seriously, what gave me away?" Link asked her again, as he got up from his spot on the ground and sat down next to her on the bench.

Malon immediately took his hat from him, and started to rub the back of his head where'd it had landed, hoping to make it feel better instead of worse. Over the past few months, she'd come to learn what she could do to take Link's mind off of what he had to do, and she found that Link had one weakness, the back of his head. It was cute, she thought, the way he was like a puppy when she did this.

"Well, how could you expect Epona to stay away from me? I know I'm drop dead gorgeous." she told him.

"True." Link agreed "There's no denying that."

That was another reason that Malon liked scratching his head. He became so relaxed that he didn't hold back anything when they talked. Everything he told her was the exact truth, and nothing else. Sometimes it surprised her, what she learned when they talked like this. But it was never anything bad. And there were some things that she didn't want to force out of him.

"_I really want to know Link. How do you feel about me? Sometimes I think about asking you during times like this, but I don't want to force you to tell me. I want you to tell me on your own. I want you to want to tell me." _Malon thought.

She looked over to ask Link another question, and was surprised to see that he wasn't sitting there anymore. She was about to get up and go looking for him, when she heard a light snore from her lap. She glanced down, and smirked when she saw Link, who had put his head down on her lap while she was thinking and fallen asleep.

"_Wherever he came from, it must have really exhausted him" _

Malon knew that she would never be able to move Link on her own. She couldn't think of anything that she could do, but she really didn't want to leave Link out here all night. She was just about to give up when she remembered something.

"Hey Navi, can you come out here for a minute?" she called out.

Navi extracted herself from folds of Link's tunic, where she'd been thinking about everything they'd been through. She glanced down at Link, and couldn't help but chuckle.

"What's up Malon? Need some help with sleeping beauty over there?" Navi asked. "Although I can't blame him. We did have quite the day. I'm sure he'll tell you about it tomorrow."

"Okay. I just was hoping that you'd go over to the house and find my dad. I'm going to need some help getting Link into a bed. He should still be up. If he's not, just yell something crazy. That usually works." Malon told the floating companion.

Navi made her way over to the house, thinking that sometimes it was a good thing she hadn't been with Link from birth. The Kokori couldn't get to far from their fairies, and so where usually just a friend to the children. But Navi was glad she wasn't confined to Link. She could be alot more useful that way. Like now. She made her way over to the door, and was glad to see the front door cracked open. She floated through, and looked around. She saw Talon over in the rocking chair by the fireplace. He had a bottle of Lon Lon milk in his hand, and Navi could see it was half drank. She was also glad to see that he was still awake, even if he could drift of any minute. She floated over to where he was, and got right up in his face.

"Hey!" she screamed. "Malon needs some help."

"Well hey, Navi. What brings you to the farm. Where's Mr. Green Boy?" Talon asked, once he recognized her.

"That's what Malon needs your help with. They were talking on that seat in the horse field, and Link kinda fell asleep. She can't move him, so she asked me to come get you." Navi told him.

"Okay. Lets see what we can do, shall we" Talon responded as he hauled himself out of his chair and over to the door.

Together, the two of them made their way to the two teenagers. Talon couldn't help but smile to himself. His daughter must have been a just as exhausted as Link, because she had fallen asleep sitting there. He hand was still buried in Link's hair, scratching the back of his neck. Talon reached down to extract his daughter's hand from the mess of blonde that it was tangled in, but as soon as he tried, she stopped scratching and instead grabbed a clump of Link's hair.

"Well, shoot. That just makes things more difficult, don't it Navi? It doesn't look like I'll be able to separate them, does it. Can't have Malon ripping out a chunk of Link's hair. Can't imagine that he'd appreciate that too much. I think I can carry them both, but that still doesn't mean she's going anywhere from him. At least not until she wakes up. I may not like it, but they'll just have to share a bed tonight. I trust Link, so I know he's not going to try anything funny." Talon said, more to himself than Navi.

"You know Talon, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Link is pretty clueless when it comes to these sort of things." Navi responded.

And so, Talon bent down, careful to keep the two of them close enough that Malon wouldn't go separating Link from any of his hair, and hoisted them over his shoulders. As he made his way to the house and up to Malon's room, her hand never left Link's hair.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The next morning, Malon couldn't help but notice that she was alot more comfortable in her bed than she normally was. She really didn't want to have to get up. But she knew that she had to. She had things to do around the ranch, and she wanted to try and get them done before Link woke up, so they could spend the day together. But as she tried to pull herself out of her bed, she was surprised when she felt resistance stop her. She looked down, and saw an arm was wrapped around her stomach.

"_That's odd_" she thought. "_I have no reason to stop myself from getting out of bed._"

Then she decided to look again. The arm that had snaked it's way across her stomach did not make it's way up to connect to her shoulder. Instead, it continued to a point behind her. As she investigated where it came from, she noticed that she could feel something warm on the back of her neck. She turned her head around, and was surprised to find herself face to face with Link, who looked to still be asleep.

Needless to say, Malon was surprised by this turn of events. Not that she was going to complain, she kind of liked being held by Link like this. She just wanted to know what was going on. She decided to lay back down while she thought about how she, and Link, had come to be where they are. And that's when she noticed the paper on her nightstand. She reached over to pick it up, and recognized her father's handwriting.

_Malon,_

_You're awake by now, and have probably noticed your bedmate. You fell asleep last night after you sent Navi over to get me, so I had to haul you both back to the house. The only reason Link isn't in the guest room is because I'm pretty sure he's attached to all of his hair, which you would have pulled out if I'd tried to separate you. I had to make a run to Kakariko to drop off some milk, and to pick up some things for the ranch. I should be back by tomorrow evening. Please take care of the ranch while I'm gone._

_Love,_

_Talon_

Well, that explained that. She decided that she would just lay back down and wait for Link to wake up.

Luckily she didn't have to wait that long. Within a half hour, Link started to stir from his place next to Malon. She watched as his eyes fluttered open, and sat up. Link looked around the room, and Malon could tell that he was a little confused as to where he was. He scratched his head as he looked around, and when his eyes settled on Malon, she could see the understanding in his eyes as he remembered what had happened last night.

"Uh, Malon, what am I doing in your bed?" Link asked, still somewhat groggy.

"My dad had to carry us both in after we fell asleep last night, and I guess I didn't want to let go of your hair. So he just put us both here." Malon told him as she started to scratch the back of Link's head again.

"Well, I can't really complain. I sure could do alot worse for company." he told her as he closed his eyes again. "Ow!"

"You could do alot worse! What's that supposed to mean? Does that mean that you could do alot better too?" Malon playfully tugged on Link's hair, since she knew exactly what he'd meant. It was still fun to play with him, because he always tried to hard to calm her down afterwards.

"Now Malon, that's not what I mean, and you know it. Please, stop pulling on my hair, it hurts!" Link screamed.

"You realize that you scream like a girl." Malon informed Link.

"Oh please, that was nothing. You missed me in the Shadow Temple. That place was freaky, since it's supposed to be the 'House of the Dead'. Skeletons around every corner." Link told her.

Malon shuddered. "So that's why you lost your voice that one time. Too much screaming? Oh Link, that's too funny. Mr. Hero, screaming his lungs out." She couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yeah yeah. Laugh it up. You didn't have to spend a week in there. I never want to do that again."

"I wouldn't want to either. So tell, me, fairy boy, what happened since the last time I saw you? You only left here a couple of days ago, but you didn't even tell me where you were going." Malon was honestly curious. Normally, Link would show up at the ranch, stay a couple of day, and then he'd be gone. She wouldn't see him for weeks at a time, and then he'd just show up again. This was the shortest time he'd been away from the ranch, and Malon didn't know if he'd accomplished what he'd left the ranch to do.

"Fairy boy? Still? Well, farm girl, if you must know, I was over in Castle Town. I had to finish up one last thing." Link told her.

"One last thing? What would that have been?" Malon asked him. He wasn't normally this vague. He'd always told Malon what had happened in the temple he'd just been through, usually in excruciating detail.

"I had to fight Ganondorf." was all he said.

"Link! How could you? You could have very easily been killed by that man! He isn't someone that you take lightly." Malon had seen Ganondorf on occasion, when he'd come to see how Ingo was running the ranch, She never liked him, and always locked herself in her room while he was there. Ingo wasn't happy about that, and had given her more than her normal beatings for those incidents. She still had some of the scars from him, and was glad that Link had chased him away from the ranch and brought her father back.

"You mean 'he _wasn't_ someone that you take lightly." Link shot back, more to himself than to Malon.

Malon, however, heard him loud and clear. "Link, what do you mean 'wasn't'?"

"Oh, shit. Uh...Malon, you weren't exactly supposed to hear that. I kinda, well...Lets just say that Ganondorf isn't a problem anymore."

"Link, just tell me. What exactly did you do after you left the ranch the last time. And please, no cryptic messages. Just be honest with me." Malon pleaded

"Okay. I'll spill. When I left the ranch, I headed to Castle Town. Since I'd already taken care of all the temples, it was time for me to deal with the head honcho himself. But first, Sheik had told me to meet him in the Temple of Time, so I headed there before taking on the castle. Turns out that Sheik was just Zelda in disguise. She told me that I apparently hold the Triforce of Courage, and that's why I'm able to do everything that I've done. Unfortunately, Ganondorf had figured that she'd find me eventually, and so he was ready for when she did. He captured her for her piece of the Triforce, and took her up to the castle. I knew that I had to go take him down once and for all, so I followed after him. Let me tell you, Mal, he's got one freaky place to be staying. After taking down the barrier that he'd put up around the tower, I had to rush up and deal with even more of his cronies before I could find him. When I got to where he was, he's just sitting around playing his organ. He must of had a lot of practice, because he's actually pretty good. He talked alot, but I didn't really pay attention to what he was saying. He fights like a madman, though. remember how I told you about my fight with Phantom Ganon in the Forest Temple? He fought just like that. So it really wasn't that hard to beat him. After he went down, the castle started to collapse. Zelda said it was Ganondorf trying to take us down with his final breath. But it didn't work. I felt like laughing when we made it out."

"So that was what all that shaking was yesterday?" Malon asked. "I didn't know what it was, but I was really surprised when the castle went down. I had a feeling that's where you'd gone, but I really didn't want to think the worst. I couldn't bear to think that you'd died, Link. I just couldn't!" Malon was crying by the time she finished saying this.

It was hard for Link to just sit there and watch Malon cry, especially when he knew that it was his fault. He didn't know what to do, so he just hugged Malon closer and stroked her hair as she calmed down. Link had learned that this was the best thing that he could do when she got like this. as soon as she had calmed down, she turned around in the bed so she was facing him.

"So that's it?" she asked, eyes still slightly red.

"Well, I thought that it was. And so did Zelda. Once we started to walk away from the ruins, we heard something shifting in the rubble. We both knew that it wasn't just random rubble shifting, so I decided to make my way over to the pile in the center to see what was going on. As soon as I walked up to the rubble, Ganondorf burst out. I could tell that he was dead, but I think he had corrupted the Triforce of Power to where it wanted what he wanted. I think it was manipulating his body. Anyways, all of a sudden, he started to change. His entire body began to shake, and he turned into this demon. I can't even describe what he looked like. There were times when I was fighting it that I really thought I was going to die, especially since he'd been able to knock the Master Sword out of his ring of fire. I had to fight him with my bow and my hammer. I finally managed to knock him out, so I ran over and grabbed the Master Sword from where it was. But when I ran back in, he was already getting back up. After that, he was alot more cunning. It was really hard to deal the last shot. I had to put myself in some serious danger in order to pulls it off. But I did. And now he's locked forever in the Sacred Realm. Everything is over."

Malon was still sniffling, knowing that Link had put himself in mortal danger just to save everyone. But she was glad that he didn't have to fight anymore. He didn't, right?

"Link, are you done fighting? Do you have to do anything else?" she asked.

"Well, Zelda asked me to do one more thing. I know that you don't want me to go, but I told Zelda that I wanted to take a little break before I did anything." Link answered.

"What did she ask you to do?"

"I have to go around and take care of Ganondorf's monsters pone last time. That way, Zelda can get started rebuilding everything." he told her.

""How long do you think it will take you?" Malon was almost desperate to know how long he would be gone.

"I figured I'd be able to Clear out Castle Town in just a day. Then I'll come back here, and on to Death Mountain, Lake Hylia, and Zora's River. Everything else can wait. Hopefully, I should be able to do everything in a week after I start." he answered.

"Link, what can I do to help you? I know that I wasn't able to do much for you over the last few months, but I want to help." she told him.

"Mal, I was really hoping that I could come back here once I'm done clearing out a place. I really don't want to be running from one place to the next without a rest."

"You know that you're always welcome here. You don't even have to ask. I'd love to have you staying here." Malon told him.

"_You'd _love to have me staying here? Really, Mal?" Link laughed as he wagged his eyebrows at her.

"Well...uh...I mean _we'd_ love to have you staying here. Not just me." Malon stuttered.

"Okay, sure, Mal. we'll believe that. If that's what you want to say."

"Now, don't get me wrong, Fairy Boy. I do love having you stay here with me on the ranch. I'm just sad that you're going to have to leave soon" she said, hoping that Link couldn't see the blush that crept over her face.

"Well, would it make you better if I told you that Zelda's not expecting any progress until the end of the week? I'm not going anywhere until Friday." Link told her.

"Really? Link, that's wonderful. It'll be just like when you came to visit as a kid! We'll have all sorts of fun. But you'll have to help me with my chores around the ranch." she beamed at him.

"But of course. What good would I be as a hero if I couldn't help a fair maiden in need?" he responded.

"Well, we'd probably better get started. My dad had to go to Kakariko to make some deliveries, and said he probably won't be back until tomorrow evening. So it's just you and me until then." Malon informed him.

"Well, if we must get up. I was rather comfortable here. So, what's first on the list of things to do?" Link asked Malon. After all, her dad had put her in charge for the day.

"_He was comfortable? What does he mean by that? Was he comfortable because of the bed? It is a nice bed. Dad stuffed it with cucco feathers, after all. Or did he mean that he was comfortable laying there with me?_" Malon thought as she stared into the distance. She could feel the blush starting to creep into her cheeks again, but there wasn't anything she could do to stop it.

Link wasn't oblivious to the change in Malon's appearance, and could only watch as she ran with whatever it was she was thinking. He wasn't quite sure he wanted to know, the way she was giggling. Needless to say, he wasn't quite prepared for what happened yet, especially after the silence that had preceded it.

"Oh yes! Harder, Link!" Malon screamed.

The thud that followed as Link fell to the floor was more than enough to snap Malon back into the real world, and as soon as she realized where Link was, as well as the look on her face, she knew that she had just allowed her thoughts to take over her mouth.

"Did I just say what I think I just said? Please tell me I didn't." Malon asked, mortified.

"The last word that cam out of you're mouth were 'Oh yes. Harder, Link.' Care to tell me what that's supposed to mean?" Link asked, looking quite confused.

"Oh thank Naryu. I forgot that Link spent the last seven years locked away. He never got **the** **talk**. That was awkward, hearing it from dad." Malon told herself.

At least, Malon thought she'd just t said it to herself. The Goddesses were not on her side today when Link asked her "Malon, what was an awkward talk with your father?"

"_Oh shit!" _Malon thought. "_There's no way he's going to let me out of this one, is there? I guess I'll have to be the one to give him **the talk**. This is going to be interesting._"

And so, for the next two hours, Link and Malon continued to lay in the bad as Malon described the ins and outs of adult relationships, as well as how the adult body worked. Link never thought he would see Malon turn as red as she did while she told him everything about this thing called sex. She sure glanced at him alot while she described everything that adults did with each other, kissing and touching and...other things. "_I really should have taken Zelda up on that offer. No one should ever have to learn any of this._"

For the rest of the day, Link simply wandered around the ranch dazed, as he helped Malon with the chores. He couldn't stop thinking about everything Malon had told him that morning. She'd been very descriptive about what she'd told him, and since then, he couldn't help but think about her. He was scared to look at Malon when he walked past her, since he thought that anytime he did, he'd just picture her naked. He had never thought that he would think about Malon, let alone any girl, that way.

"_What in the world does this mean. Naryu, please give me the wisdom to figure this out. Is it possible that I like Malon as more than a friend? Does this mean that I want to do things with her?_" Link asked himself, more confused than he'd ever been in his whole life.

Malon also noticed the change that came over Link. She couldn't help but think it was all her fault that he was acting this way. after all, she'd done the exact same thing when her father had explained it to her. It had taken her three days to get over some of the mental scars she'd had. She resolved herself to talk to Link once they were done with the chores. She also decided that tonight she would tell Link exactly how she felt.

She spent the rest of the day planning just how she would tell him. She wanted it to be perfect.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

As noon rolled around, both Link and Malon found themselves increasingly hungry. And so, Malon lay down the scythe she had been using to trim the weeds that were sprouting up in the horse field and walked over to Link, who had been touching up the paint of the outside of the house.

"You getting hungry there, fairy boy?" she asked.

Link, momentarily forgetting his fears, smiled at Malon. "And just what were you planning on making, Mal?"

As soon as he had spoken, however, Link's eyes began to betray him. He had intended to keep his eyes glues to Malon's face, but they had other ideas. Malon noticed this, too, but she really didn't mind. After all, it is Link, and she knew that he had crossed through her mind more than once, and never usually fully clothed. She watched as his eyes slowly wandered from her face, lingered slightly on her chest, and continue to travel down, past her stomach, and over her legs, before they reversed direction, and ended up staring her back in the eyes. She thought she detected a hint of approval over what he saw, as well as...what she could only describe as lust?

"_Well, it's nice to know that he likes what he sees. Hopefully it means that things will go alot smoother tonight._" Malon thought.

"Well, I was planning on whipping up a quick soup. we got alot done today, so I figured we could just kick back the rest of the day. I was kind of hoping you'd be up for a picnic tonight, though."

"Malon, you are a genius. That sounds like the perfect way to relax." Link told her.

"I'm glad you think so. I'm going to go get started on the soup, then. You're more than welcome to lend a hand, although I've tasted your cooking, and it leaves alot to be desired."

"Yeah, well, I like to think I've improved alot over the past few months. I wasn't puking my dinner up every night after a while." Link rebutted.

"One can hope. Well, come on. Show me how much you've improved."

Malon finally pushed her bowl away from her, too stuffed to eat another bite.

"Come one, Mal. Admit it. It was an improvement, wasn't it?" Link asked her.

"I'll have to say, Link" Malon started, as she pushed herself out of her chair, maneuvered her way over to where Link was sitting, and lowered herself onto his lap, "that was really good. Where'd you learn to cook like that?"

"You know what they say. Practice makes perfect." he answered, surprised at how comfortable she was making herself.

"I don't know about perfect. I mean, I can make better soup with my eyes closed"

"You wish, farm girl" Link shot back at her.

"I don't wish. I know." she told him, tapping her forehead.

"Know what, Malon?" came a small voice that floated down the stairs.

"That I can make soup that's far better than any that Link can make, Navi." Malon called back.

"Navi, it's already noon. Have you been asleep this entire time?" Link asked his fairy companion.

"And what if she was Link? May I remind you that you couldn't even wait to make it to a bed last night?" Malon said as she playfully hit Link on the arm.

"Oh is that how it's going to be, Mal? I might just have to return the favor."

"Link, you wouldn't hit a lady, now would you?" Malon asked, not quite knowing the answer.

"Oh Mal, I would never hit a lady. But who said anything about hitting?" Link said, as he picked Malon up by the waist and moved her over to the couch.

Link, true to his word, did not hit Malon. Instead, he places his hands around her stomach and began tickling Malon.

"Ah! Link! Don't! You know...ha ha ha...how ticklish I am! Ha ha ha! Stop! I can't...ha ha ha...take it anymore!" Malon whined.

"Say uncle. Give up, and I'll stop." Link told her.

"Oh, Link, you're...ha ha ha...horrible! How could...ha ha ha...you?"

"I'll stop when you give up, Mal." Link told her again.

"Oh, fine! I...ha ha ha...I give!" Malon hollered.

"Say uncle." Link said.

"Uncle!" Malon screamed, and Link immediately stopped his torture.

He didn't however, move from where he sat, pinning Malon's legs down so she couldn't have kicked him. He leaned down and placed his forehead on hers.

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it Mal?" he asked.

"It was horrible." Malon whispered, aware of just how close his lips were to hers.

"_What is he doing? Is he going to kiss me?_" Malon thought.

"I'm sorry, Mal. Was it really that bad?" Link said, with just a hint of guilt in his voice.

"It was, but not anymore." she responded.

"Well, that's good." Link told her. "Now, how about we go ahead and clean up?" Link asked as he motioned to the lunch mess, still laying where they'd left it.

"If we must." she responded, making it quite obvious her thoughts on that plan.

"Well, I suppose the dishes can wait. It's not like they're going to be walking off." Link said, hoping to make Malon smile.

"No, I don't suppose they will. But Link, you're kind of hurting my legs." Malon said, wincing.

Link immediately jumped up, checking Malon's legs for any damage.

"I'm sorry Mal! Did I hurt you? Are you okay? Anything broken?" Malon could tell that Link was frantic, and would only spiral further out of control if she didn't calm him down soon.

"Link, I'm fine. Really. You didn't do any damage. It was just a little uncomfortable, that's all. Just come here and sit with me. I want to hear all about your adventure again." Malon told him.

"Are you sure you're okay, Mal?" Link asked, not quite believing that Malon was telling the whole truth.

"I'm positive, Link. Now sit. I want to hear all about your fight with Volvagia again."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"So then, Ruto tells me that she has to call off our engagement. Boy, was I happy when she said that. I tell you, if I'd been forced to marry her, I might have run myself thorough with the Master Sword. I don't know what I would have done." Link finished.

"_I don't know what I would have done either, Link_" Malon thought to herself.

Link had finished telling her about his trip through the Fire Temple, and she had begged him to continue on to the Water Temple. She had always envied Link, since he got to travel all around Hyrule and see all sorts of beautiful places. Malon hoped that one day she could convince him to take her everywhere his adventure had taken him. Until then, she loved hearing his stories about the places. That's one of the reasons she had always looked forward to Link's next visit. He always cam back to the ranch with a new story to add on to his adventure.

Of course, Malon had other reasons for looking forward to his visits. At first, she hadn't wanted to admit it. She'd told herself that she was just grateful to him for saving her from Ingo. She'd told herself that it was just a crush, which she would get over it eventually. It wasn't until he'd come back from the Fire Temple, covered with gashes and burns from the lava that filled the temple, that she had finally realized that it was more than a crush. She'd had to admit to herself that she was attracted to the hero. And she knew that it wasn't for the reasons that other girls would be. It wasn't because he was the Hero of Time. She'd known him long before he took up that role. No, Malon was attracted to him because of his personality, because of the way he treated her, the way he looked out for her, and just the person that she saw only when he was with her. He'd acted completely different the few times that he's accompanied her into Kakariko Village to help with the deliveries. Of course, it didn't hurt that he was quite a looker.

Malon didn't want to sound too conceited, but she liked to think that she had grown up rather nicely as well. And based on Link's reaction before lunch, he thought the same thing. She was glad that he did. She wanted him to appreciate what she had to give him, and her looks were one thing she hoped she could. Of course, she also hoped that Link wasn't just interested in her for her looks, but other things too. Of course, first she hoped that Link was attracted to her like she was attracted him. They were best friends, and she hoped that he didn't want to keep things that way.

"So, Mal. Tell me what happened while I was gone." Link said, snapping Malon out of her thoughts.

"Now Link, you know that hardly anything interesting happens on this ranch. You coming back is usually the one noteworthy thing that happens. Otherwise, it's just alot of chores, day in and day out." she answered, telling him the truth, just not the reason why it was the truth.

"Malon, why do I have a hard time believing that?"

"I don't know Link. I'm going to chalk it up to how dense you are." Malon giggled as she said it.

"Now that wasn't nice, Mal. am I going to have to tickle you again?"

Malon's eyes widened when he said this, remembering not only the torture he'd inflicted but the moment that had followed it. She put on her best mock fear face as she said "Oh Link, please don't torture little old me!"

"Ha! Right, Malon. You just try and sound helpless, but I know you." Link shot back at her.

"I guess you're right. There's nothing I can put past you, is there?"

"You got that right, Mal." Link said with a wink.

Malon chose that moment to glance at the clock, and noticed that they'd taken the last four hours talking. What were they going to do about their picnic! They weren't anywhere near ready to go!

"Link!" Malon screamed, jumping to her feet.

"What, what is it?" Link said, as he jumped to his feet also and pulled out the Master Sword.

"Oh, put that thing away. We just need to get ready for out picnic. Or did you forget already?" Malon told him, pushing the hand he held the Master Sword in down out of her face.

"Oh. Of course I didn't forget, Mal. I just didn't know when you wanted to head out. " Link told her.

He grabbed a handful of his tunic, and brought it up to his nose, taking a sniff. Immediately, he dropped it and started coughing.

"Oh my goddesses! That reeks. Of course, I can't blame it. I haven't had a chance to change it for the last few days, and it's probably covered in demon spit. I'm gong to have to go change real quick, Mal." Link remarked as he started to take the tunic off.

Malon couldn't help but stare at Link's chest as he struggled to get his tunic over his head. A slight blush crept its way over her cheeks again. Then she noticed the bandage he had tied to his arm. She couldn't help but think that it looked extremely familiar, and so she walked over and grabbed both of Link's arms to keep him still.

"Mal, what are you doing?" Link asked, slightly startled.

"Just hold still." she told him.

And then she realized what it was. It wasn't a bandage, it was her scarf! And it was soaked in Link's blood! She couldn't believe him. She'd told him to keep it safe, and he went and got it covered in blood!

"Link! Look what you did to my favorite scarf! I can't believe you! I told you to keep it safe!" Malon screamed, grabbing his tunic and throwing it into the corner by the stairs.

Link glanced at the scarf in question, and was shocked to see that it was soaked in blood. He was positive that it wasn't that way when he'd left the ranch, and he couldn't remember taking a hit to the arm. He decided that the adrenaline must have blocked out the pain from any wound he'd gotten heading up the castle. Then, upon closer inspection, he noticed the gash that graced his arm, between his shoulder and Malon's scarf. It was still bleeding. That would explain why his arm had been bothering him all day. He'd just chalked it up to exhaustion from the battle before hand.

Unfortunately, Malon also noticed the gash, and just how much blood was coming from the wound. She was surprised. Link hadn't said one word about his arm all day. She doubted he'd even taken the time to check over his body at all, the way he was so reckless. All the anger she felt over her scarf immediately evaporated, replaced by concern.

"Link, go up to my room and lie down on the bed. I'm going to grab the first aid kit. I'll be right up, and then we'll take care of your arm." The tone of her voice left Link no room for debate.

Malon walked over to one of the cupboard in the kitchen, opened the door, and grabbed the box that her and her father had put together for medical emergencies. She hauled it up the stairs, and pushed open the door with her foot. She walked in, and almost dropped the box as she glanced again at Link, lying half naked on her bed. It wasn't hard foe Malon's imagination to run with the situation.

_Malon sat the first aid box on the chair in her room, and took out a roll of gauze, a bandage strip, a needle, and some twine. She brought the handful of supplies over to the bed, and set them on the nightstand by the bed. She looked over at Link, lying on the bed. She knew that he wasn't the biggest fan of getting stitched up, and he knew she knew. He couldn't help but tremble every time Malon brought out the needle and the twine. It was hard for Malon to patch him up when he was like this, and today he was especially bad. It didn't look like she'd be able to take his mind off it just by talking to him, like she normally did. She did, however, have another idea. It was pretty extreme, but Malon knew it was the only thing that would do anything to him._

_"Link, close your eyes." Malon ordered._

_"Please tell me you're just going to stick me while I've got my eyes closed." he pleaded._

_"Link, I'm not going to do that. Just close your eyes." she told him again._

_Link did as Malon told him to do. Link could hear Malon shuffling around the room, but he had no idea what she was doing. Then Link felt Malon sit down on the bed next to him._

_Okay Link. You can open your eyes now." Malon told him. Link could hear something sounding like uneasiness in her voice, and was unsure of whether or not he should open his eyes._

_He decided to chance it, though, and slowly opened his eyes. Needless to say, he was not expecting what he saw._

_There sat Malon on the side of the bed. That wasn't what surprised him. What surprised him was the fact that she was sitting on the side of the bed in only her underwear. Link's eyes widened at the sight._

_"Malon, what are you doing?" Link asked her._

_"You always shake too much Link. I can't fix you when you do, so I'm helping you calm down." Malon told him._

_And while it did work, he didn't stop completely. Malon had anticipated this, however, and so before she started, she got Link's attention one more time._

_"Link, I don't want you to focus on the needle. I want you to focus here." she told him as she reached around her back and unclasped her bra. She tossed it in the corner, and Link's eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets._

_He couldn't believe what Malon was doing. She could see that. But he also wasn't struggling anymore. His gaze was completely fixated on her chest. Malon was glad that she could have this effect on Link. As she finished cleaning and stitching his wound, she noticed just how much of an effect she was having on him, since she could feel the pressure on her leg increasing._

_"Well, well Link, what have we here?" she grinned mischievously as she allowed her hand to wander lower and lower..._

"Malon? You there?" Link asked, once again snapping Malon out of her thoughts.

_"Wow, Malon. That was a little intense, wasn't it?"_ she asked herself, surprised at her imagination.

She brought the first aid box over to the chair, and brought out the supplies that she knew she would need to patch up Link's arm. First she cleaned the blood from the wound, and then disinfected it with the hydrogen peroxide. She brought the out the needle and thread that would let her stitch the gash closed, and watched as Link started to shake, just as she knew he would.

"Oh Link, stop being such a baby. Take it like a hero. I'm sure you've faced alot worse than this needle." She told him, hoping to get some sort of reaction from him.

"Well, Malon, that may be true. But you know that I've never liked needles. I mean, look at that thing. How can something so small cause someone so mush pain. It's not natural. The needle is not a creation of the goddesses. Why Naryu, in her infinite wisdom, let anyone stick something like that into another person is beyond me." Link told her, just like he had every time before.

"Done." Malon said, taking her concentration form Link's now patched arm and untying her scarf from where it was.

"Link, I gave this to you after you saved the ranch. That was months ago. Did you ever once take it off. Every time you came back to the ranch and needed some patching up, you always had it on." Malon asked.

"Well, Mal, I never really wanted to. After all, it's special to me." he told her.

Link was glad to see that this comment put a smile on Malon's face.

"Aw Link, I'm flattered." Malon said as she wrapped Link's arm in gauze, and then a bandage. "All patched up. I'm going to go put together the basket for our picnic, Link. You better put on a clean tunic. I'll make sure to wash the other one for you."

"Malon, how many times have I told you that you're the best?" Link asked her as she walked out of the room.

"Not nearly enough, fairy boy. Not nearly enough." was her response as she walked down the stairs.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Half an hour later, and both Link and Malon were heading out the door of the house. Navi had opted to stay and just relax. Link didn't blame her, but he also thought there was another reason she was staying back, one that she just wasn't telling him.

"So, Malon, care to tell me where you'd planned on going?" Link asked.

"I was kinda hoping that we could go to Lake Hylia, Link." Malon told him.

"Okay, Mal. I'll go saddle up Epona then." he responded.

"Actually Link, I'd like to leave Epona here. She seems tired. She isn't used to being run all around Hyrule." Malon confessed.

"Mal, you realize that walking to Lake Hylia could take us a couple of hours, don't you?" Link asked. "You're lucky I know a shortcut. Come here."

Malon's heart started to beat faster as Link wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled out his ocarina. He brought it to his lips and played a quick tune. Malon was surprised when everything around her dissolved, and then formed itself into the island in the center of Laky Hylia.

"Link, how did you do that?" Malon asked.

"I learned a few tricks during my adventure. There's a couple tunes I can play that will get me around Hyrule quickly." he told her.

"That's handy" she commented.

Malon walked over to the shore of the island, and set down the basket she'd brought with her. She pulled out the blanket she had, and spread it out on the ground by the lake. She set the basket on the blanket, and motioned Link over to sit with her.

"Wow, Mal. You really didn't have to go all out for this." Link told her as he looked in the basket and brought out candles, a couple of sandwiches for both of them, and some bottle of Lon Lon milk.

"I know." she responded. "But I really wanted tonight to go well"

"That's really nice, Mal." Link said as he checked the basket one more time. "But it's going to be really hard to light the candles without any matches."

"What? You must be blind, fairy boy. I know that I put matches in that basket. You're just not looking hard enough. Give it to me."

Link handed her the basket, and Malon proceeded to pull everything out of the basket in her search for the matches. The longer she searched, the more desperate Link could see she was becoming.

"Damn it, Malon. How in the name of the three goddesses could you forget the fucking matches!" Link heard her muttering to herself as she stuck her head into the basket.

This was when Link decided that it was time for him to do something. Luckily, for both him and Malon, he did have something that he could do. He'd discovered once that the spell he had found that had allowed him to set fire to his arrowheads also allowed him to set fire to other things. Of course, it had it's limitations, mostly that he could only use it on things that were about five feet or closer. He'd discovered this handy skill about a month and a half ago, in Geurdo Fortress.

--Flashback--

_"Okay Navi, I'm going to set that tapestry on fire to create a distraction." Link told his fairy as he pulled out his fairy bow and set an arrow._

_As he muttered the spell that would set the arrowhead on fire, he began to smell something foul. He realized that it was his tunic. Well, he had been thrown in a freaking jail, after all. Who knew what was in that cell. Wait, was something burning?_

_"Uh, Link." Navi said, floating in his face. "You set the wrong thing on fire. You might want to take off your tunic before you get burned."_

_"Oh shit!" Link hollered, immediately drawing attention to himself as he started dancing around. "Stop, drop, and roll!"_

--Flashback--

"_Yeah, that wasn't fun._" Link thought as he began to mutter the spell, directing his will to lighting the candles. He smiled when the two candle tips burst into their own small flames and began to glow.

"Hey Mal, you can stop now. the candles are lit." Link said, looking over at Malon, whose head was still stuck in the basket, looking for the matches that she would never find.

"Uh, Link. I need some help. I think my head is stuck in this stupid basket." she informed him.

"Malon, what would you do without me?" he asked as he grabbed the basket. "This might hurt a little."

He then yanked on the basket as hard as he could. Luckily, it was more than enough to remove the basket from Malon's head.

"Thanks, fairy boy." she said, rubbing the spot on her forehead where the basket had rubbed quite a bit.

Link was silent as he took her hand and pulled it away from her forehead. "Let me." he said as he leaned in a kissed her on the forehead. She sucked the air in through her teeth as his lips made contact with the raw skin on her forehead, but she was immediately glad for the cool contact that he gave. Her forehead started throbbing less and less, and then she could no longer feel any pain.

"How's that, Mal?" Link asked her as he moved away.

"Much better. Thank you." she told him, as she felt yet another blush creep its way over her cheeks.

"Let's eat." Link said, handing her one of the sandwiches she'd made.

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Link and Malon both lay on their backs, having already finished their meal. Malon decided to scoot over and lie next to Link, placing her head on his chest.

"Link, tell me about the constellations. You must have learned alot of them on your journey." Malon said. The stars were something that had always fascinated her. She would often lie in the horse field looking up at the night sky. But she had never been able to learn about the constellations.

"Well, Mal, I didn't really learn too much while I was gone. Just some of the names that the different races have for their own constellations." he told her.

"I'd like to know those, then." she told him from her spot on his chest.

"Well, the Gorons call that one," he said, pointing to one constellation, "Volvagia, and they call that one," he said, pointing to another, "The Hammer. The Zoras call this one over here," he said, pointing to yet another one, "Jabu-Jabu. And the only one the Geurdo would tell me about was that one." Link said, pointing to a cluster of stars far off from the others. "The call it the Goddess of the Sands. They told me the rest of the constellations the have were from their home across the seas. We Hylians have quite a few more. Over there, you can see Din, and next to her is Farore, and the Nayru. And it is widely believed by the Hylians that that star," Link told her, pointing out the brightest star in the sky, "actually leads to the Sacred Realm. People say that the star glows so bright because of the glow of the Triforce. Although, I'm not so sure about that one. I mean, Ganondorf got hold of the Triforce and split it, after all. So how can the star still glow if the Triforce is gone?"

"Link, do you know how lucky you are?" Malon asked.

"Mal, what do you mean?"

"I mean, you got to travel all over Hyrule these past couple of months. You go to see things that most people only hear stories about. I mean, how many of the Geurdo have even been to their own Colossus? Or how many Zora's have been inside Jabu Jabu? That's why I envy you, Link." she told him.

"Really, Mal? I never knew you felt that way."

"I've always wanted to travel, Link. I never got the chance, because I'm always so busy with the ranch. But travel has always been a dream of mine." she confessed.

"You know, I never thought of it that way. When you say it like that, I guess you're right. I was kinda lucky, huh?" Link said, laying back and just watching the stars.

Malon had never seen him like this. She'd always thought that Link had been happy to run around Hyrule, saving everyone. But he'd just told her, in a roundabout way, the he really wasn't. And she could guess why. He'd always come back to the ranch dragging his feet. He never really got a break once he'd walked out the gates, on to his next adventure. his life had certainly been in danger more times than one, and from what he'd told her, without those handy red fairies he always carried on him, he probably wouldn't be lying here with her. He never really had a choice in it, either. Malon knew that she wouldn't be happy if she was in his shoes.

"_This is it, Malon. Just tell him, right here, how you feel. You can do it._"

Link must have seen the struggle on her face, because he piped up.

"You okay there, Mal?"

"Huh?" she said, snapping out of her thoughts. "Oh, yeah, just thinking about something."

"Care to tell me what?" he asked.

"Well, Link..." she started. "_Come on! Tell him. It's really easy! 'Link, I love you.' Say it!"_

"I...Well, I...uh...I'm really glad you can stay with me for a while this time."

"_Wow, Malon. That sure didn't sound like 'I love you' to me. It sounded more like you chickened out!"_

"Gee, Mal. I'm really glad I can stay with you for a while too." Link said. "Now, how about we get this stuff picked up. I'll call Epona, because it's a long walk back to the ranch."

Link pulled out his ocarina again, and played the song that Malon had taught him seven years ago. Malon was surprised when Epona galloped up to them about a minute later. By that time, Link had already packed away what was left of their picnic.

"Link, how did she get here so quick?" Malon asked, knowing that even with a horse, the ranch was an hour away.

"Don't ask me. I never figured it out myself." he responded, tying the basket to Epona's saddle.

Link then lifted Malon onto Epona, and climbed up in front of her. She wrapped her arms around him as he grabbed the reins, and they headed off, back towards the ranch. Malon was content to lay her head on Link's back, and was soon asleep. Her dreams were filled with dragons made of stars, as they fought against a small figure in the heavens.

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**Well, there you have it. Chapter two is finished. It's quite a bit longer than my last chapter, but I just couldn't figure out where I wanted to stop. I've already got an idea for what's going to be happening in chapter three, so be looking for it soon. I don't like to keep you guys waiting. Until then, please drop a review for me. I'd really like to know what your thoughts are on the first two chapters.**

**I'm always willing to take ideas. If there's something you want me to incorporate into a future, please just say it in a review. My ideas only last so long. Leave your name with it, and if I use it, you'll get the credit.**


	3. Worrying for a Hero

**Disclaimer: Blah blah blah. I think you get it by now. Ideas, mine. Everything else, Nintendo's.**

**Recall: Last time, Link arrived back at Lon Lon Ranch after beating Ganon. He's taking a break before he goes out and clears out Hyrule of the monsters. Malon ends up giving Link_ the talk_ (you know what I mean) since he missed those critical teen years. They take a picnic to Lake Hylia, and Link gives Malon a little astrology lesson. We left them as they headed home.**

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**Chapter 3: ****The Full Story, Right Here, Right Now. OR The Perverted Knight**

The next morning. A cucco crowed outside of the room that Link had occupied for the night. He hated those things. Never had understood why Farore put them here in Hyrule. And it didn't seem like the damn thing would shut up until he got out of bed.

_"Farore, I haven't asked you for much in life, have I? So do you think that you could do me one favor. Do this for me, and I will never ask you for anything again. Just please get rid of the cuccos. Please?" _Link asked, pleading with the deity who had conspired to send him on his last adventure.

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Link did not know that the deity in question, along with her sisters, had indeed heard his plea.

"What do you think, sisters? Should we help the poor hero out?" Din asked.

"Now why would you do that, sister dear? I think we should just tell the poor boy _why_ the things are there." Nayru said.

"What, that they're there just so we can listen to him bitch?" Farore shot back, still pulling feathers out of her hair. "It's not easy to posses a freaking cucco just to mess with that hero.

Her sisters couldn't help but stare at her, wide-eyed, until all three fell to the floor in hysterics.

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Link was paranoid the rest of the morning. He could swear that damn bird was watching him. He even went so far as to pull out his Fairy Bow and fire off an arrow at the thing. He glared as he watched it jump over his arrow and run off.

"That's what I thought, you bastard! You do not want to mess with me! Cucco wings are sounding better by the minute!" he hollered, hoping that it would get the picture. "Now to take care of these chores before Mal wakes up. She sure was exhausted last night.

But as soon as he walked out from under the shade of the house, the heat slammed into him like a wave.

_"It must be the first day of summer." _Link thought. _"It always gets so flippin' hot. It's annoying, really. Guess I better go put on something cooler."_

And so, Link turned around and walked back into the house. As he headed towards the spare room Talon had finished building a couple of months ago, he started opening windows to let some sort of breeze into the house. He didn't want to die of heat stroke later. He also decided to check up on Malon, and see how she was doing. He headed up the stairs and cracked open her door, peeking inside to make sure she was asleep. She was, and so he eased the door open and stepped inside.

Malon had thrown the covers off of her bed. Link wasn't sure if she had woken up and done it, or if she had just kicked them off in her sleep. Upon closer, inspection, however, he determined that she had to have woken up. The only reason he knew this was the case was the fact that Malon had not gone to sleep last night dressed as she was. In fact, she had gone to sleep, well...dressed. Now, though, she was lying on the bed in only her panties, partially wrapped in the lightest sheet she could find. Luckily for Link, she was laying on her stomach, and so there was nothing to be seen of her...well, ample chest. She looked quite serene, lying like that, with one hand grasping her pillow, and another hanging off the side of the bed. Her fiery red hair was sprawled out on the pillow around her. As Link stood there, entranced by the sight before him, she started to shift, slowly turning towards him.

_"Oh shit!" _Link thought. _"If Malon keeps moving, she's not going to be hiding anything anymore. And then she'd kill me! I do not want to die."_ He turned around, as quickly, and yet as quietly, as he could, and hurried out of the room.

Malon, meanwhile, had woken up, and had caught sight of the end of Link's tell tale hat as he hurried down the stairs.

_"Was he just in here?" _Malon thought. _"I wonder what he was doing. Did he want something? Or was he just staring? Wait..." _Malon told herself, as she glanced down at herself and remembered the state she had fallen asleep in earlier, _"I'm mostly naked. Did he see anything? Does it really matter if he did?" _Malon struggled with her thoughts, trying to figure out if she should be angry at Link for seeing her like she was or not.

As Link hurried down the stairs towards the guest room he was staying in, he thought he heard Malon moving around up in her room. Try as he might, he couldn't help but think back to what he'd just witnessed. With a shake of his head, Link walked up to the door of "his" room. Or at least, Malon thought it was his. While Talon had building the addition, Malon had found a slab of wood, which she had spent two months carving in her free time while Link was gone to the temples. It had turned out to be a plaque that she had carved into the Triforce. Then she had engraved "Link's Room" into the center of each of the bottom triangles. As soon as the room was done, Malon had hung it on the door. No matter how many times Talon, and Link, had taken it down and told her it was just a guest room, it always ended up right back on the door. Eventually, they'd given up. Secretly, Link was appreciative. He was glad knowing that Malon wanted him to have his own place in her house.

He opened the door, smiling at the thought, and headed over to the dresser. He opened up the middle drawer, and pulled out a pair of light green shorts. They were one of his favorites, since Malon had given them to him as a present last month. As soon as he'd pulled off his boots and changed out of his tights in favor of the shorts, he closed the middle drawer and opened up the top one. Searching the contents inside, he found the shirt that he was looking for. It was tan, and short sleeved. Perfect for the summer. Again, it was one of his favorites. Malon had given it to him last month also, but he hadn't had a chance to wear it yet. Well, today he'd change that. After he pulled off his tunic and put on the shirt, he grabbed the pair of sandals that were sitting by the door. Again, Malon had given him these too. She'd told him that she didn't want him to have to run around Hyrule during the summer in the clothes he had. And now, he had to agree with her. In fact, when he thought about it, Malon had given him this entire outfit. He'd have to remember to thank her for it. As he walked out of his room, he grabbed a pair of bracers for his hands, and a short sweat band for each wrist, since he'd be working outside again today.

At the same time, Malon was getting dressed in her room. She had already stuck her head out the window to check on the horses, and had found out just how hot it was today. And she knew it would only get hotter. So she decided to forgo her usual ranch dress in favor of something nowhere near as warm. She opened up her closet, searching for something that would keep her cool, but at the same time, she wanted to wear something that would catch Link's attention.

_"Ah hah. This is perfect"_

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Link had already been around the ranch and finished off most of the chores already. He had milked and fed the cows, fed and brushed the horses, and scattered corn for the blasted cuccos. He could have sworn he saw that cucco from earlier, eying him in the corner of the ranch. Damn thing. He'd even refilled the barrels that held the water for the showers.

_"I wonder what Malon would do if one of her cuccos went missing. I doubt she'd even notice, it's not like she counts the freaking things." _Link thought. _"Speaking of Malon, where is she? What is she doing? I know she's not still sleeping, because I heard her moving around while I was changing. I'd better go check on her."_

Link started towards the house, worried about what Malon was doing. He'd already been out of the house for the last hour and a half, and he had not seen one sign of her. Suddenly, he heard a sound behind him. It sounded like the scrape of claw on rock. He turned, fearing what he would see. And he had every right to fear.

_"Son of a bitch! It's that damn cucco again! What the hell does it want?" _Link asked, slowly backing away from the cucco and closer to the front door.

However, the bird had no plans of letting him get away that easily. With a mighty crow, it charged toward Link.

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Malon, who had seen Link taking care of the chores, had decided to make breakfast for the two of them. She knew that Link would be more than capable of taking care of the few tasks that needed to be done. Just feeding the cows, horses and cuccos, milking the cows that needed to be milked, and brushing the horses that needed brushing. Today was a light workload on the ranch, compared to other day. In fact, from what she had seen, and what she knew of the chores, Link should be making his way back inside now.

_"Perfect." _thought Malon. _"Breakfast is almost ready anyways. Hopefully he's worked up an appetite."_

Suddenly, a loud crow broke through the silence of the ranch, followed by a piercing scream.

_"What in Nayru's name was that?" _Malon asked, making her way to the door.

She was halfway there when it burst open. Link came rushing in, covered in what looked like scratch marks. He slammed the door behind him, and leapt away when something crashed into it. When he noticed Malon standing in the kitchen staring at him, he quickly jumped into her arms.

"Oh Malon, it was horrible!" Link screamed, cowering closer to her body.

"What Link? Tell me what happened. It sounded like Princess Zelda screaming out there. Is the ranch under attack?"

"No, Mal. It's much worse! I was being attacked by...by..."

"Come on Link, you can tell me." she pleaded.

"by CUCCOS!" he yelled, burying his face into her shoulder and sobbing.

"Cuccos?" she asked, just to make sure she'd heard him correctly.

"Yes, cuccos." came the muffled answer from her shoulder.

Malon knew about Link's uncontrollable fear of the "feathered fiends", as Link was fond of calling them, and so she decided that she wouldn't make fun of him. Besides, it's not like she hadn't before.

"Shh, Link. It's okay. The cuccos can't get you in the house. You're safe with me." she told him, hoping to calm him down. "Shh."

As Link started to calm down, Malon noticed his change in clothing. It looked very familiar. Then it hit her. This was the outfit she had given to Link last month! She had thought it would look good on him, and she was right.

_"Oh boy! He is looking fine today!" _

By now, Link had calmed down enough to notice what was going on. As he slowly lifted his head from Malon's shoulder, he couldn't help but look embarrassed. After all, Malon had said that it sounded like Zelda screaming out there. But Zelda was in Kakariko, which could only mean...

_"Oh great. I screamed like a little girl again. When I get my hands on that bird..." _Link thought.

"Hey Mal, can you let me down now? I'm okay." Link said.

"Oh, sure Link" Malon responded, letting him climb out of her arms, immediately missing his warmth. "Here, I made breakfast. Come have some."

Link watched as Malon walked over to the stove, taking in her new change of clothing. It looked like she had picked the shortest pair of jean shorts she owned, along with a small, dull yellow top, tied in the front, that didn't leave much to the imagination. Link grinned in appreciation.

_"Oh boy! She is looking fine today!"_

"So Mal, what is on the menu this morning?" Link asked.

"Well, Link, I made us some oatmeal today."

"Seriously?" Link gasped.

"Yeah. Is that a problem, Link. Is there something wrong with my oatmeal?" she asked, the tiniest hint of serious pain evident in her voice, should he answer incorrectly.

"Wrong? Are you kidding, Mal? Your oatmeal is the best ever! I absolutely love it!" he hollered, rushing over to the pot and grabbing a spoonful. He stuck the whole thing, spoon and all, in his mouth, and swallowed.

Malon grinned, waiting for what she knew was coming.

"HOT!" Link yelled, sticking out his tongue and running around the kitchen. "Oh sweet Din, that's hot!"

"What did you expect, fairy boy. I just finished cooking it."

"Ah! It hurts! It hurts!"

"Link..." Malon said.

"AH!"

"Link..." she said again, becoming agitated.

"AH!"

"Shut the hell up!" Malon screamed at the top of her lungs.

Link immediately stopped running and clamped his mouth shut as tight as he could.

"Now, Link, sit down." she told him, pointing to the chair.

He quickly glanced at the chair in question, and sat down as fast as his body would allow him.

"Close your eyes, and stick out your tongue."

Link did as he was told, and could feel Malon running a glass of cool water over his tongue and into a bucket. Instantly, the throbbing in his tongue ceased.

"How's that?" she asked.

"Much better. Thank you Mal." he told her. 'But I think I burned my lips too. Could I get a glass of water?"

"Just keep your eyes closed. I've got something better than water." he heard her say, as she came closer to where he sat.

"Mal, what are you..." Link started to say.

However, he was cut of by something pressing up against his lips. It was cool, and somewhat wet. Whatever it was, hips lips also stopped their throbbing.

_"I've got to know what she's doing." _Link thought. _"Whatever she's done, it's working wonders."_

Link cracked open one eye, and was surprised when his vision was filled with Malon's face. Opening his other eye, he glanced down to see what she was doing. What he saw surprised him. The pressure he felt on his lips was Malon! She was kissing him!

This was an opportunity that Link did not want to pass up, no matter how surprised he was. He brought his arms up, and placed them around Malon's waist. Once he'd done this, he pulled her into his lap, making sure that the contact between them was never broken.

Needless to say, Malon was surprised when she felt Link respond to the kiss. She gasped when she felt him pull her down into his lap, but was glad that he wasn't fighting. In fact, he was kissing her back! Malon took this as a good sign, and started to get a little more adventurous. She parted her lips slightly, and ran her tongue over Link's lips, hoping he would get the message. Thankfully, he did, as she felt his lips part in response. Immediately, she launched her tongue forward, wanting to explore every inch of this new territory. Link responded likewise, and Malon felt his tongue contact hers. The two of them didn't move for a good while, and Malon's oatmeal lay forgotten on the stove.

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Down the hall, Navi had been enjoying a nice dream about her chasing Ganondorf around with a mallet, bonking him on the head and giggling manically. Her dream, however, was interrupted when she heard her idiotic companion's voice break through the illusion.

"HOT! Oh sweet Din, that's hot!"

Navi just rolled over in her makeshift bed, hoping that he would shut up. Link, however, did not want to go along with her plan.

"Ah! It hurts! It hurts!"

_"Please just shut up, Link. I'm trying to sleep." _she thought mentally willing him to quiet down.

"AH!"

This time, she grabbed the brim of Link's hat, where she was sleeping, and jammed it over her head, hoping that, even if Link continued to scream, she could just muffle it out. However, her plan failed, again.

"AH!"

Navi couldn't take it anymore, and decided to go give Link a piece of her mind. She slowly untangled herself form the green fabric, and floated into the air, lazily flapping her wings. Lucky for her, Link had left the door cracked open so she could easily float right out the door and into the kitchen, inhaling deeply in order to yell at Link.

She was back five seconds later, her eyes wide from her trip into the kitchen.

_"Malon was...so they were...and he was..." _she thought.

"WOO HOO! Finally!" she screamed, and drifted back to Link's hat, where she continued to smack Ganondorf into submission.

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It was several minutes before the pair separated. Both were blushing madly, and tried looking away from each other.

Link was the first to speak.

"Uh, Malon...What just happened?"

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In the heavens, a blue haired goddess planted her face on the floor with a loud THUD.

As she stood up, she turned to her sisters.

"I just had to let you two have him first, didn't I? You crammed him so full of courage and power that I could hardly fit any wisdom in there. And now look how he's turned out!" she screamed at them.

The other two figures had the courtesy to at least look sorry.

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"I didn't know you could be so clueless." she said.

"Why do you think I'm clueless, Mal?"

"Did you just hear yourself, Link? Honestly" she told him. "Don't you remember **the talk**? We did talk about kissing. It was only yesterday, after all."

"Oh...I'm sorry, Mal. I guess that question was phrased really badly, huh?"

"You're telling me." she shot back at him, somewhat darkly.

"Aw, Mal, come one. I didn't mean for it to come out like that. You know that, right?" Link pleaded.

"Yeah, I guess." she responded, calming down.

"Anyway, Mal, what I really want to know is _why _you did that."

_"Thank you goddesses. I can finally tell Link how I feel. I'm not going to chicken out this time. You can do this, Malon!" _she told herself, determination welling up inside her.

"Well, Link, the reason is..what I mean to say is that I...I lo..."

The goddesses, however, were _not _on Malon's side today, as they chose that moment to have the door of the ranch bust open, revealing a lone Hylian Knight standing, panting, in the doorway.

"Sir Link!" he cried, as soon as his eyes landed on Link.

_"Sir Link? I thought only high ranked knights were referred to as 'Sir' by those in the castle."_ Malon thought, intending to question Link about this as soon as she had the chance.

"You must come with me, Sir Link! We have to hurry. There is trouble in Kakariko." he told them, grabbing Link's wrist and attempting to drag him out the door.

"Now wait one minute, bud. I'm not going anywhere with you unless you give me the full story, right here, right now. How do I know you aren't going to drag me off and violate me? Pervert." Link said, clearly intending the final part as a joke, and nothing more. Malon caught on, and giggled at Link, who could find humor, despite the situation. The knight, however, did not see what was funny.

"Sir, I would never do that. I have a wife at home, whom I love dearly, and three children, who are the pride of my life. But that is beside the point. Last night, bandits attacked Kakariko. They set fire to a few buildings, and then they kidnapped Princess Zelda. The last we saw of them, they rode up Death Mountain. We believe they have made their headquarters in Dodongo's Cavern, but the Gorons are unable to find any sign of them. The village elders have requested you to personally go and rescue the princess." he said, once again trying to drag Link out the door.

"Stop." Link ordered him. "I'm not sure how helpful I'm going to be to you if I leave like this." he said, gesturing to his clothing, as well as lack of weapons.

"Very well, Sir. Please, arm yourself. There is no time for you to change." the knight informed him.

Sighing, Link ran into his room. Strapping the Master Sword to his back, he grabbed his shield and the Golden Gauntlets, as well as his magic pouch. He quickly slipped off his sandals in favor of his boots, and jammed his hat on his head.

"Huh...What's going on?" Link heard, from deep inside his hat.

"Navi! We're leaving. Zelda has apparently been kidnapped by some bandits, and we're raiding Dodongo's Cavern to rescue her." Link informed her.

"Really? I expected her to be grabbed yesterday. Who could resist?" Navi said.

Link hurried back out to the front room, where Malon had offered the knight a quick bottle of Lon Lon Milk. He appeared to have run all the way from Kakariko, through the night, and was most likely dead tired. Link knew that there would be no way they could convince him to stay, especially not while he had a duty to see through. Hylian Knights were all extremely loyal to the Royal Family, after all.

"I'll be right out. Wait for me outside." Link told the knight, who nodded and walked out the door, shutting it gently behind him.

"Mal, I'm sorry I have to rush off like this. I really wish..." Link wasn't able to continue, as Malon had placed a finger over his lips, silencing him.

"Link, you don't need to apologize. It's not like you planned for Zelda to be kidnapped." she said. "I just expect you to come back as soon as Zelda is safe, got it."

"I got it, Mal. And when I get back, we'll finish this conversation, okay? Don't think you're getting out of this so easily." he said, tightening the straps of the Golden Gauntlets as he fixed them to his arms.

"I'll be looking forward to it, fairy boy. Take this with you. I know how much you like it." she told him as she handed him a cold bottle of Lon Lon Milk. "And let me get one more thing. Wait right here."

Malon rushed up the stairs to he room, where she grabbed the object in question, before turning around and running back downstairs.

"This time, you don't really need to worry about keeping it safe. Just bring it back. It's still my favorite, after all." she told him as she tied the blood red scarf around his arm again, right under the stitches he still sported. "I tired washing the blood out, but it just didn't want to cooperate. It's okay, though. I really don't mind."

"Malon, I promise I'll be back. And I'll try my hardest to come back in one piece."

"I'll keep him safe for you Malon." Navi chimed from inside Link's hat.

"Thank you Navi. Just be safe Link." Malon told him, trying to keep the tears from her eyes.

"I will." Link whispered, leaning in close to give Malon a quick kiss to the lips.

With that, he turned around, opening the door and whistling for Epona, As she road up, Link turned to Malon and gave her a quick smile and a wink. He then jumped on Epona and galloped out the ranch. Malon ran after him, following out to the field, to watch Link until she could see him no more.

"Please goddesses, keep him safe, and bring him back to me." she whispered to the heavens.

* * *

**That ending was completely off the top of my head. Obviously, I couldn't have Malon confessing to Link quite this early in the story. It just wouldn't work. The ideas for Link and Malon's summer clothing came from two different pictures. Here is a link to each one. These are not my drawings, just really liked the looks.**

**Link: i270./albums/jj95/BlakBlt2/Legend of Zelda/LinksNewOutfit.jpg**

**Malon: i270./albums/jj95/BlakBlt2/Legend of Zelda/linkpimpmaster.jpg**

**Basically, that's what was going through my head for the two of them while I was describing the clothing.**

**Next chapter will be Links foray into Dodongo's Cavern to find the bandits hideout. I Not sure if we'll see much of Malon next chapter, I haven't decided yet. But the chapter will chronicle Link's entire rescue trip. No cliffhangers in the next chapter. This is my promise to you.**

**On another note, I felt I should point it out, because not everyone could pick up on it. You probably did, but just to be safe:**

**You'll notice the characters are usually speaking to one of the three goddesses in particular. This is because each of them is particular to one aspect of Hyrule.**

**Remember:**

**Din is the Goddess of Power. She is the goddess that created the land and terrain of Hyrule. The characters will speak to her when asking for the strength to do something, or when whining about the terrain she made.**

**Farore is the Goddess of Courage. She is the goddess that created life on Hyrule. Therefore, the characters will speak to her when bitching about her animals, such as link did about the cuccos, or when asking for the courage to face their fears.**

**Nayru is the Goddess of Wisdom. She imparted the laws of the land onto Hyrule. The characters will speak to her when bitching about things like physics, or when asking for the wisdom to make a good decision. Or when Malon wants to whine about Link's intelligence.**

**Just a note to remember.**

**Until next time,**

**BlakBlt2**


	4. The Job of a Hero

**Disclaimer: Hah, I wish anything in this story was mine, besides the ideas. Sadly, they are the property of Nintendo.**

**Recall: Last time, Link and Malon both decked themselves out in new outfits, since summer has rolled around. Link was attacked by a cucco, burnt his tongue, and ended up kissing Malon. Malon was ready to confess her undying love for Link, but Zelda f'ed it up by getting kidnapped. We left as Link rode off to rescue her and Malon watched him go.**

**I decided that we're going to check up on Malon a bit before Link goes to be all heroic. I've been doing a bit of "studying" on how to portray a more tasteful M rated scene, and hopefully this chapter reflects that.**

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**Chapter 4: Taking Down the Boss**

It had been about an hour since Link had left for Kakariko, and Malon was bored out of her mind. Link had already finished off all the chores around the ranch, so there was nothing for her to really do until tomorrow. She was probably going to be alone until Link came back. She doubted the soldiers would let anyone out, or into, the village for quite some time, so she didn't think her father would be home anytime soon.

As she walked around the ranch, searching for something that perhaps Link had overlooked, something, anything, to keep her from boredom, she found her thoughts slowly drifting back to the adolescent hero. Just being near him made her feel intoxicated. He was like a breath of fresh air to her dull life on the ranch. And yet, no matter how much he brought excitement to her life, he still somehow managed to fit in perfectly on the ranch. He was great with the animals, and he took to the chores with a vigor that surprised even her father.

_"Oh Link. Why can't I ever tell you how I feel? I know it might seem silly, just bursting out and telling you I love you, but I've known for a while now." _she said to herself.

She would be the first to admit it; her feelings for the hero had not always been as strong as they were now. When she was a young girl, and Link was still running around to collect the stones, she had felt an admiration for the boy. He had been the first person that had ever been her friend. And then, when he had visited, they had become best friends. It wasn't hard for her to admire him.

When he had disappeared, Malon had all but forgotten about him. She would always come to her mind every once in a while, and usually while Ingo was beating her for some stupid problem. She had sometimes waited for him to whisk her away from the life she was forced to endure. And he had, in a way. He had shown up, out of the blue, liberated the ranch and brought back her father. She hadn't wanted to believe that it was him, at first. But there was no denying it, once Navi had popped out of his hat. When she saw that, Malon had jumped from where she was watching him. He hadn't been expecting Malon to tackle him, which was evident from the look on his face when he fell to the ground with her wrapped around him.

Malon squirmed in her place on the bench. She felt strangely odd, and wet. In fact, now that she focused on it, her shorts were soaked!

"Goddess damn it!" she exclaimed, jumping up out of the bench and checking for any evidence of the culprit. It hadn't rained last night, and the sun had been up for too long anyway. Any water that had collected on the bench would long since have evaporated.

_"Oh...wait...that would mean..." _Malon thought.

She brought her hand down, and it came away sticky.

_"Son of a..."_

This was not the first time that Malon had made herself a little horny, and it usually happened while she was thinking about Link. Malon tried her hardest to take her mind of off Link. She decided that she was going to make Link another one of the shirts that he had walked out of the ranch in. Just because she was making a shirt for him didn't mean she had to think about him. And he did look extremely hot and sexy in it.

_"Ah! Din damn it!" _she mentally screamed.

There she was, thinking about him again. She was not helping her earlier problem. In fact, she was making it worse! Her panties were completely drenched. Now she was going to have to go change them. She really didn't want to have to do that.

_"Oh well...I guess I'll just have to go take care of that." _she told herself.

She walked herself upstairs, feeling her legs stick to each other as she leaked out of her panties.

_"Ah Link...I just hope you're going to be safe. I've got alot of things to confess to you when you get back here"_ Malon thought, as he unbuttoned her shorts and slid them off her legs. Unfortunately for Malon's willpower, her fingers accidentally brushed against her most private of areas, and she gasped out loud, as a jolt of pleasure ran through her body.

Her body took on a mind of its own, as her hands slid her panties off and threw them to the corner, to join her shorts. She hitched up her shirt and bra, exposing her perky breasts. Her legs led her to lie down on the bed, as her hands began to explore her body. She sucked her breath through her teeth as her fingers pinched the nipple of her left breast, as her right hand began to explore the folds of her womanhood. It was only when her fingers finally slid inside that her mouth opened and she finally yelped in pleasure. As she started to pump her fingers faster in faster, the feeling of pleasure building with each thrust of her hand, her hips started to buck, and her moaning increased in volume. Momentarily, she was glad that she was alone on the ranch. That thought was soon swept away, though, as the continued to slide her fingers in and out, allowing her back to arch slightly. She could feel herself coming closer and closer to the climax, and shuddered as the orgasm tore through her body, letting out one final moan as her body finally settled down from the after effects of her activities.

As she laid there, her body quietly shaking, and her breathing slowly calming down, she could only wish that the fingers had not been her own.

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Link, meanwhile, was riding as fast as he could towards Kakariko Village. He could not help but resent Zelda for allowing herself to get kidnapped. She was a Sage, after all! She could protect herself. And because of her, he had to leave Malon alone on the ranch, defenseless. What would he do if he returned from saving Zelda, only to find that Malon had been kidnapped while he was gone. He would not be able to forgive himself if that happened.

He tired not to dwell on that, though. It wouldn't be helpful for him or for Zelda if he was thinking about Malon the whole time. It was hard not to think about Malon. He could not get his mind off her. His mind kept drifting back to the morning, and the kiss they had shared then. He couldn't help but resent the Hylian Knight that was hurrying along behind him, as quick as he could. Link wondered what would have happened between him and Malon if they had not been interrupted. He also wanted to know what she had been about to tell him. All the more reason for him to get this over with quickly.

Speaking of revelations, Link couldn't wait to get back to the ranch. He had his own secret to share with Malon.

_"Malon, when I get back, I'm going to tell you the truth. I love you, Malon."_

Link had been sure of this for the last two months or so. He couldn't say what it was about her that made him so sure, but he knew that he did. And this morning had only helped him to confirm just how strongly he felt about the red headed girl waiting back at the ranch.

Turning his attention back to the matter at hand, Link realized that he had made it to the village. Link glanced behind him, and he could just make out the knight coming to the bridge over the river. Satisfied that he would be okay, Link tied Epona to the sign at the foot of the stairs, and sprinted up into the village, while the sun was still high in the sky.

As Link rushed up Death Mountain Trail, he prepared himself for the fight he knew was coming. Walking up to the mouth of the cavern, Link peered inside, hoping to see some sign of the bandits from the limited view he had of the cave. Seeing none, Link slowly walked inside, checking the ground in front of him for traps. He didn't really trust the bandits to not try anything funny.

He walked thorough the cavern, looking for any sign of the bandit's lair. He decided that he would travel through the entire Cavern, since Zelda did want him to eventually clear out all the places that Ganondorf's monsters inhabited, and this was one of them. Walking through the cavern, he couldn't help but think back to the last time he had been through here, more than seven years ago. That sure had been one hell of an adventure. At least he got those awesome bombs out of it.

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Standing back in the entrance chamber, Link looked around the cavern one more time, extremely confused. He had seen no evidence that bandits had ever been here. He decided to head back to Kakariko for the night and question Zelda's bodyguards one more time, to see if they might have been mistaken. As he turned around to leave, he thought he heard a very faint cry, coming from somewhere below his feet. Pausing, he listened carefully, to see if the noise would repeat itself. Hearing nothing, he walked back outside, and headed down the mountain.

As he walked back into Kakariko Village, he glanced around, looking for someone who would be able to direct him to Zelda's bodyguards. He decided to try asking around in the Bazaar. As he walked inside, the owner glanced up to see who had come in.

"Ah! Welcome to the Kakariko Bazaar! What can I do for you?" the owner asked.

"I'm actually looking for some information." Link said.

"Well, what do you need to know, my friend?"

"Can you tell me where Princess Zelda is staying?" Link asked, earning him a glance from the owner.

"Well, now. I heard that the Princess had returned. I think someone said that she was staying in the old Skulltula House, now that the curse has been lifted and they all left." the burly man told Link.

"Thank you." Link said, turning to leave. As he walked out, however, something caught his eye. "Pardon me. What are these?" Link asked, pointing to the item in question.

"Those? Those are a pair of boot daggers." he called out.

"Boot daggers?" Link questioned, confused.

"Don't tell me you've never heard of boot daggers. They're compact enough that they can be hidden in a boot, and yet they're sturdy enough to be of use as great protection, if it comes down to it." he told Link.

"How much for the pair?"

"500 rupees."

Link reached into his wallet and pulled out 5 golden rupees, handing them to the man. This time, as he walked out, he stopped to grab the daggers down from the shelf.

Turning to the owner, Link said, "Thank you for all your help."

"Thank you, young man."

Link closed the door behind him and began to walk down the closest set of stairs. He was really glad that he had bought that set of daggers. Already, he was planning how to conceal one of them in his boot, just in case the bandits got the best of him.

_"I'm going to give this other one to Malon. That way, I know she's at least got some sort of protection when I'm gone."_

He walked up to the door of the house that Zelda had supposedly been staying in, hoping that her bodyguards would still be there, at least. And his hopes turned out true. There they were, sitting around a small table, bowls of stew in front of them. One of them glanced up when he heard the door close.

"Sir Link!" he called, causing the others to glance up from their meals. "What can we do for you?"

"Well, I traveled all through Dodongo's Cavern earlier today. I wasn't able to find any evidence of a bandit's hideout. Are you sure that's where they went?"

"Sir, we are positive. As soon as they had passed through the gate, we had it closed. We as you know, the only other way off the mountain is through the tunnel in Goron City that leads to the Lost Woods. We have heard nothing from Link-Goro, and he knows of the situation. If they were in the hands of the Gorons we would know. Therefore, they must have entered the Cavern."

"That's sound reasoning. I'll head back in later tonight. I heard something earlier. I thought I was hearing things, but I must have been wrong. It was probably some sort of clue." Link told them. "If I find them during the night, they probably won't be expecting to be attacked that late."

With that, Link sat down on one of the beds close to the door. He took off his boot, and pulled out one of the daggers he had just purchased. Over the next hour, Link used the dagger to carve out part of the inner wall of his boot. He worked until he had made a hole in the side of the boot, allowing him access to the hole between the two layers of leather. Then, he worked the hole he'd made until it was big enough to allow him to slip the dagger inside, sheath and all. He clipped the sheath to the inner wall of his boot, and put the boot back on his foot. Then, he stood up and walked around a few times, trying to see if he could feel any difference. He couldn't, and so he deemed the daggers perfect.

With that, Link gathered up the rest of his equipment but his shield, said his thanks to the knights, and walked out the front door.

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Standing back in the short bridge of Dodongo's Cavern, Link was perfectly still, listening for any noise that might lead him closer to the bandit's hideout.

_"There!"_ he thought, as he heard the same muffled cry from before.

Leaving his shield back in the village had been a choice that Link had made that he knew would allow him to move around much easier, and with far less noise. The shield clanked against the Master Sword with every step he took, and he knew it would have given away. He wanted to try and take out these bandits from the shadows, since he didn't know how many there were. If he charged right in, he could very easily be overwhelmed.

Walking closer to the end of the bridge, Link heard another cry from below his feet. _"Hmm...I wonder."_ he thought, as he knelt down to peek underneath the bridge he was standing on. And his hunch was right. He could just make out a sliver of light coming from the floor at the back of the small opening between the bridge and solid ground.

He lowered himself to the ground, and crawled forward to the trapdoor. Opening it slowly, he could make out the ground beneath him.. Most of the room below him was bathed in light. He decided to take a chance, and opened the trapdoor all the way. Sticking his head through the door, he looked around. There, chained to the opposite wall, he could see Princess Zelda.

He couldn't see where any of the bandits were, but that's when he noticed the opening in the wall between him and Zelda. So, if he wanted to get Zelda out without killing anyone, he would have to sneak past the bandits anyway. Looks like he had no choice but to fight.

"Navi." he whispered as loud as he dared.

"What's up, Link?" she asked.

"I've found Zelda. She's chained up on the wall opposite where we are now. I want you to fly over there and tell her that we're here. also, see if she knows how many bandits are here."

He watched as Navi floated through the opening in the floor, and began to make her way across the room, sticking to the wall. When she reached the opening to the other room, where Link assumed the bandits were eating, she simply floated up towards the ceiling and over the hole. He watched as she floated to Zelda's ear, and, after a moment, watched as Zelda began to speak to Navi. He couldn't read lips, so he had no idea what she was saying.

Five minutes after she had left him, Navi was floating back up through the hole in the floor.

"She says hi, for starters." Navi told him. "Also, she's not sure, but she thinks there's a total of five bandits. She says they got the drop on her while she was visiting her father's grave."

"And they're all in that other room?" he asked, pointing at the hole.

"Four of them are. But Zelda said the boss went out to get something deeper inside the cavern."

_"I guess we'll just take out the four who are here, and hope the boss doesn't come back until we're gone."_

"Okay, Navi. I'm going in. Can you keep an eye out here for the boss?" he asked.

"Sure, Link. Just be careful. Malon will kill me if you get hurt badly."

Grinning, he dropped through the hole, landing as silently as he could. Zelda's eyes were on him the entire time. Link melted back into the shadows as he heard the scrape of a chair, and then a voice said, "I gotta go take a piss." As the sound of footsteps came closer to the hole in the wall, Link pulled out the dagger from it's new spot in his boot.

_"Looks like this thing gets a trial by fire." _he said, waiting for the bandit to appear.

Link let the man step past his hiding spot, and then Link emerged. Looming behind the bandit, Link's arm snaked around the man's neck, clamping over his mouth to keep him from alerting his friends.

"Don't fuck with Hyrule." was the last thing the bandit heard, before Link plunged the dagger into his neck.

He dragged the now limp body into the shadows, and waited for his next move to present itself. He didn't have to wait for long, since the other three bandits soon noticed their friend was missing.

"I thought he was just taking a piss." said one voice.

"Maybe the jackass got lost." chimed another.

"I'm going to go look for him." the first voice said.

The procedure was the same as the first bandit, and Link silently pulled another body back with him. This time, however, he choose not to wait. Instead, he picked up a nearby rock and chucked it across the room. As it scattered off the wall, Link heard a new voice say, "Go see what that noise was." The third bandit appeared, and met the same fate as the two before him. Now that the numbers had been evened out, Link decided to confront the fourth bandit face to face.

"Samuel!" the voice called. "What the hell are you doing. Checking under every pebble?"

Unsheathing the Master Sword, Link blocked the hole to what he now saw was a small mess hall.

"Hey! Who the hell are..." the voice was cut short as Link sliced through the man's neck.

Satisfied that he and Zelda were now the only two in the cave, Link cleaned the blood off both the Master Sword and his dagger using the dead man's tunic. A short search of the pockets revealed a key that looked to be the one he needed to unchain Zelda.

Just then, Link heard a boot tapping on the stone floor._ "That doesn't sound too good." _Link thought, turning around. There, in the center of the other room, stood a man Link could only assume was the boss. Why hadn't Navi warned him?

As if to answer his question, Link saw the boss reach into his pocket and pull out a glass bottle. There was nothing special about the bottle itself. Heck, there were dozens just like it back at the ranch. What made him gasp were the bottle's contents. The reason Navi had not warned him was because the boss had trapped her!

"Let her go." Link said, "or I'll cut you down where you stand." Link let the threat hang in the air.

"You can have her back over my dead body." the boss told him.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Link growled, holding the Master Sword in his left hand.

Suddenly, the boss grinned as he extended his hand. Link was surprised when a sword blade seemed to grow out of the palm of his right hand.

"This is a special blade." the boss told him, seeing the stare. "It retracts into my leather gauntlet, and can be extended with a flick of my wrist. It allows me much more maneuverability than any sword with a hilt."

"That's good for you. But this is still a legendary sword. You'll never best it."

"We'll see about that." the boss said as he lunged forward, intending to take off Link's head with his first swing. However, doing this caused him to lose his grip in the bottle containing Navi, which fell to the floor and shattered.

Link waited until the last possible second, when it appeared that the boss had him, and brought up the Master Sword. A loud ringing could be heard throughout the entire cave. He jumped back from the clash, and immediately leapt high into the air. Planting his boots on the ceiling, he used the muscles to push off, increasing the speed at which Link hurtled towards the boss. He hoped that this maneuver would throw the boss off, so that he could land the finishing blow. It didn't work quite the way that Link had planned, though, as the boss side stepped out of the way. He wasn't fast enough completely dodge the attack, though, and Link grinned as the Master Sword tore through the tendons of the boss's left arm, rendering it completely useless.

"Urg!" the boss grunted, retracting his blade into his gauntlet in order to grab his arm. "You got lucky boy. It will not happen again."

Suddenly, the blade was back out, once again aimed at Link's neck. This time, however, the force of the impact jarred the Master Sword from Link's hands. Since the boss was evil, and could not lay a hand on the blade, he settled for kicking it across the room, far from Link's reach. Link could only stare at the boss, trying to formulate some sort of plan, as he advanced upon Link.

"You know, boy," the boss said, dragging out the moment for as long as he could. "I never thought that I personally would be able to avenge the death of my master. And once you are dead, I will force that girl to reopen the seal on the Sacred Realm. I will be the first one to welcome my master back into the world, and then I will lay the world at his feet. And he will reward me. I shall be his right hand man."

The boss was surprised when Link began to laugh. It started softly, but quickly increased in volume until Link was doubled up on the floor.

"You dare mock me, boy? What is the meaning of this?" he roared.

"You really think that Ganondorf is going to rule the world with someone at his side? That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Ganondorf works alone. He's only interested in power for himself." Link said, finally calming down.

Link could see the boss's mind snap once he'd told him that. With a roar, the blade was suddenly hurtling down through the air towards the top of Link's head. And so, he did the only thing he could think he. He crossed his arm over his head, forming an X, hoping that sacrificing his arms would at least save his life. Even he wasn't prepared for what happened next.

The blade bounced off of the Golden Gauntlets with a loud clang. Link could feel the gauntlets pressing into his arms, and knew that they would definitely be bruised, at the very least. More than likely, his arm bones had both fractured. At least they weren't broken. Link took the opportunity of the boss's shock to trap the blade with the backs of both of his hands, catching it in the gap between the folds of metal, and twisted his arms with all his might. It did exactly what he had hoped it would. The boss watched in disbelief as his blade snapped in half. Link leapt up, crossing the room in two long strides. He grabbed the Master Sword from where it had landed against the wall. As he turned back towards the boss, he hurled the sword with all his might, hoping his aim was true.

The boss had just recovered from his shock at seeing his weapon broken, and had turned toward the Hero of Time. He barely had time to gasp as he took in the sight of the Master Sword flying through the air, before it had buried itself, up to the hilt, in his chest, piercing his heart and instantly killing him.

When Link had extended his arm, however, he had felt his arm snap. Grunting in pain, he fell to the ground. Before his face made contact with the hard stone, reflexes forced his other arm out to break his fall. Unfortunately, the only thing he ended up breaking was his other arm.

"Ah! Din damn it! Why both of them? Why?" he screamed.

Struggling to his feet, since he could no longer use his arms, Link looked over to Princess Zelda.

"I thought I was on a vacation until Friday." he said, grinning at her. "Navi, the key is over there." he told the fairy, gesturing with his head. "You think you can unlock the princess?"

"Sure Link, I've got it. You just relax." Navi told him, floating over to Zelda with the key in her petite hands.

As soon as Zelda was free, she rushed over to Link. Grabbing his face with both of her hands, she brought her lips crashing down upon his. This was her way of thanking him for saving her life. She was hoping that he would respond in kind to her kiss, but she felt nothing coming from him. Pulling back, she cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Zel, I can't do this. I don't feel the same way about you that you apparently do about me." he told her.

"Well, Link. I can't say that I'm not hurt. I do respect you for being honest with me. There aren't many people who would turn down the princess, after all."

"Now Zel, this is a wonderful cave and all, but can we please leave? I'd really like to get back to my vacation." Link informed her

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Link was having trouble climbing up on Epona's back. He couldn't use his arms, even if he wanted to. Zelda had insisted that both of his arms be set, and then placed in slings. He was quite the amusing sight, with a sling supporting each arm. He had already assured Zelda that he would be fine traveling Hyrule Field at night. He just really wanted to make it back to the ranch by morning. As he prepared to leave, Zelda came running up to him.

"Now Link, you're sure you'll be okay?" she asked.

"Zelda for the last time, I'll be fine. Nothing is in Hyrule Field that will attack me anyway." he assured her. "But of course, I don't think I'm going to be able to finish that job of yours by Friday, the way I'm looking."

"Link, don't worry about that. Castle Town can wait. Just come see me when you do take care of it, okay?"

"You've got yourself a deal, princess. No hard feelings, right?" he asked her, referring to the incident earlier in the cavern.

"No hard feelings, Link. You're still one of my greatest friends, after all."

He smiled at her, and she walked away, knowing that he would be safe on his way back.

"All right Epona, let's go home." he told her, leaning down and nuzzling his face next to hers.

As Epona started walking out of the village, each step she took jarred through Link's body.

_"This is going to be a long trip." _he thought.

"Din, I hate you right now."

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**I kind of like that image, there at the end. Link leaning over, his face next to Epona's. So...Malon got a little naughty there, didn't she. YOU'VE GOT TO TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT. **

**Please, for the love of the three goddesses and all they created, review! I'm saddened by the fact that this story has gotten over 200 hits for the first 3 chapters, and yet I've only gotten one review. Navi is crying in the corner. For every review I get, the goddesses grant a fairy their wings.**

**Next chapter will end up being alot, and I mean ALOT of fluff, seeing as Link is going to be confined to a small amount of activity, with two broken arms. But Malon is going to take real good care of him.**


	5. Taking Care of a Hero

**Disclaimer: Blah blah blah. Nintendo owns everything besides the plot.**

**Well, I'm really gladdened by the amount of traffic this story is getting. However, I'm not happy with the reviews that are coming in.**

**The goddesses will smite you if you don't leave a review.**

**So anyway, last time...Malon got a little frisky while Link was gone. Link went off to Kakariko village to rescue Zelda. He took out four bandits nice and ninja like from the shadows, and then had to take out the boss in a short one on one battle. Link pulled off, in my opinion, one sweet kill. However, he ended up breaking both of his arms in the process. Kinda sucks, huh? Then, Zelda confessed her feelings for the hero, in her own way (she smooched him) Link let her down gently, and when we left, he was just leaving Kakariko.**

**I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have taken the time to review. Thank you. Also, to my first anonymous reviewer, who was so kind as to review again, I apologize. SHE has taken what seems to be a good interest in my story, which makes me happy. And the cucco, it just came to me. The goddesses must have given me the idea. I am glad that the person who has taken my review virginity, both for this story and my writing on this site period, has enjoyed what I've written so far. Because this story is far from over.  
**

**justbehappydamnit: Thank you. I appreciate the kind words.**

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**Chapter 5: Taking Care of the Hero**

"Epona, please slow down girl!" Link called, no longer able to take the pain he felt which each step that Epona trotted. It was pitch black on Hyrule Field. Link could barely see past Epona's head. He wouldn't normally be traveling the field this late, simply because he knew he could get way off course. But Epona would guide him back to the ranch, that was positive. She knew the way home, even if he didn't.

Link guessed they had been traveling for the past hour. If they had been able to gallop, he was sure they'd be back at the ranch by now. But Link also knew that if Epona did gallop off, he would pass out soon after she did. Therefore, he'd kept her to a somewhat quick trot. Now, though, he was beginning to feel even this slow pace in his arms.

Epona heard him, and slowed down to a walk in order to accommodate her rider. While Link was glad for the change in pace, as the pain in his arm immediately dulled down, he knew that it would probably take another two hours for him to get back to the ranch.

_"Oh well. If that's what it's going to take, then I'll have to deal with it." _Link thought, resting his head on Epona's neck.

He was exhausted from his recent rescue mission, and was looking forward to making it back to the ranch so that he could sleep in his own, familiar bed. He also couldn't wait to see the look on Malon's face when he showed up for breakfast in the morning. The traveling back and forth, though, was not so thrilling. Link could feel his eyelids starting to droop, and was fighting with all the willpower he had not to fall asleep. He trusted Epona to make it back to the ranch, but he wasn't sure he could stay on if he dozed off.

In the end, though, his willpower was overwhelmed by his immense need for rest, and he feel asleep. Epona took special care to make sure that he would not fall off.

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It was earlier than normal the next morning when Malon woke up. Judging by the position of the sun, just coming over the mountains, she figured it was about 6:00. She couldn't explain why she had woken up almost an hour earlier than she normally did. She just had a feeling that she was needed. Sighing, she kicked away the sheet she had covered up in last night. She hadn't dared used anything heavier, since it was still sweltering hot out. And it looked light she was right, glancing down at the thin layer of sweat that covered her body.

There was no way she would ever be able to fall back asleep now. The feeling that had woken her was too strong to let her drift off now. So she decided that she would get up and get the ranch chores out of the way. Putting on a new pair of shorts, as well as a dark green shirt much like the one she had worn the day before, she walked downstairs and out the front door.

Immediately, Malon noticed a change in the atmosphere around the ranch. All the animals were silent. There were no cuccos crowing, ho horses neighing, and no cows mooing. She knew then that something was wrong. Normally, there was never peace on the ranch. Besides the silence, Malon noticed that the animals had crowded in the horse field. She doubted that they were just being overly friendly. Her curiosity piqued, she wandered out into the field to see what was going on.

As she closed in on the cluster of animals, she thought she could see a person sitting atop one of the horses. _"No, not sitting" _she corrected herself. They looked more to be slumped over in the saddle. Closing the distance between her and this mysterious figure, she gasped when she recognized who it was. Wasting no more time, Malon ran over to Epona and grabbed her reins, leading her out of the field and over to the house. Once she had tied the reins off to one of the posts in front of the house, Malon tried to reach up and haul Link off her back. Unfortunately, she wasn't anywhere near tall enough to reach him. She was surprised when Epona lowered herself to the ground, making it much easier for Malon to reach Link and pull him out of the saddle.

_"Epona...something tells me that wasn't just chance. Did you actually know what I needed?"_

Nudging open the door with her foot, Malon carried Link into the house, and laid him down in his bed. Checking to make sure that he was situated correctly, she finally noticed the slings that his arms were in. Her hand flew to her mouth before her gasp could wake Link. Had he broken both of his arms?

_"Link, you've got alot of explaining to do when you wake up." _she told him in her head, walking out of the room to finish the chores she hadn't started.

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"Hey! Wakey wakey, Mr. Hero." came a voice from the front room.

Links eyes fluttered open. His head was killing him. He tired to bring his hand up to rub it, but quickly decided that was a bad idea when the pain ran up his bones. With a groan, Link sat up in his bed, as the memories of his escapades last night ran through his head.

_"I don't remember it going over that badly. Of course, I did end up with two broken arms. At least it wasn't a split skull"_

Link paused, looking around the room he was in. It had just occurred to him that he had not fallen asleep in a bed last night. In fact, the last thing he remembered was riding back to the ranch on Epona. The ranch! As he continued looking around the room, he calmed down. He recognized the guest room on the ranch. Epona must have brought him back to the ranch safely. Well, that was good.

He decided to get up and go check on Malon, guessing that she must have been the one who moved him into his bed. Swinging his legs out of the bed, he carefully placed his feet on the floor. He didn't think he'd done any damage to them, but he couldn't be sure. Gingerly applying pressure to each leg, he was relieved when he felt no pain in either one. At least one thing still worked.

Sniffing the air as he got out of the bed, he was surprised to smell something unfamiliar coming from the kitchen. Whatever it was, it sure smelled good. Shuffling himself through the open door, he instantly brightened up when he was Malon standing in the kitchen with her back to him. She hadn't realized that he had gotten up, and called out "Din help me Link, if you don't get up and come eat this food that I've made right now, I will come in there and sit on you!"

Personally, Link didn't think that sounded so bad. In fact, he was debating turning back around and faking sleep until Malon carried through on the threat. However, Malon choose that moment to turn around, and she noticed him standing there debating with himself.

"Oh Link, you're up. Are you hungry?" she asked, grinning widely.

"Malon, dear, what have you made?"

"Let's just say that there's one less cucco for you to worry about, Link. I tried something new." she told him. "Come on, have some."

"Well, Mal, there's just one problem with that." he said.

"And what would that be, Link. Scared to try something new?" she teased.

"No, that's not it. I just can't use my hands. That's all."

"Oh Link! I completely forgot. You're going to be helpless for a while, aren't you?"

"Gee Mal, I feel so special."

"Link, stop. You know I didn't mean it like that." she said, carefully pulling into a loving embrace. "I guess I'll have to have to feed you for a while, won't I?"

"I guess you will" he responded, winking at her.

Malon couldn't help but blush at him. Link grinned even wider when he saw this. Moving over to the table he carefully sat down in the chair that had been pulled out for him. Malon sat a plate in front of him, piled with eggs and cooked cucco meat. She pulled her chair over to sit next to Link, and two mugs of Lon Lon milk on the table. Grabbing a fork, she used it to cut off a piece of cucco.

"Open wide, fairy boy." she told him.

"Fairy boy? Really, Mal, why are you..." Link was cut off from complaining when Malon shoved the fork into his mouth, forcing to take the meat and chew. He couldn't help but glare at her.

She only smiled as she popped another piece of meat in her own mouth. Link's eyes widened when the taste of the cucco finally registered in his mind.

"Holy shit, Malon. That's delicious! What did you do to this?"

Blushing again at Link's compliment, she told him, "I really didn't do much to it, Link. just a few normal spices."

"Well, Malon, you are a genius in the kitchen, if I do say so myself."

"Link, stop dancing around the subject. You know I want to know what happened yesterday. And I'm not going to leave you alone until you tell me." she said, suddenly becoming serious.

Link's face fell when she said this. He had been hoping that she would at least forget about what had happened until tomorrow. He didn't really want to tell Malon about everything that had happened. He didn't want Malon to know the extremes that he had been forced to go to in order to save Hyrule. So he decided to omit some of the parts of his story. He told himself he was doing it for her own good, even though he knew that wasn't the truth.

Malon was one step ahead of him, though. "And I want you to tell me everything, Link. Don't think I won't know if you're lying to me. I won't be happy if you lie to me."

"Okay, Malon. I'll tell you everything. But can we go ahead and move over to the couch. These chairs aren't the most comfortable." he told her.

He stood up and walked over to sit down on the couch. Malon followed, bringing the plate with her, sitting down next to him and leaning her head on his shoulder.

"So I guess it all stated..."

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"Link, this is beautiful." she told him, turning the dagger over in her hands. "But it doesn't really look like it could actually be used."

"Well, trust me Mal, they are usable." he said, staring at the ground.

"What's that supposed to mean, Link?" she asked, concerned over his sudden change in demeanor.

Link had only told her the story up until he had purchased the daggers at the Bazaar. She could tell he was hesitating to continue the story, and that's why he had stalled by giving her the dagger he had gotten for her.

"Well, afterwards, I went back to Dodongo's Cavern, and I found their hideout. They weren't expecting me, because they were having dinner. Zelda told us that the boss had gone out somewhere, so Navi watched the entrance while I went in to get Zelda. One of the bandits was getting ready to come out, and he would have seen me. I knew that there was no way I would have been able to take on all four bandits at once; they would have completely overwhelmed me. So I...well...I sort of..."

"Link, please just spit it out. Something is bothering you, and I won't be able to help you unless you tell me what it is."

"Okay. Well, the thing is...I kinda...killed them." he murmured. "Please don't hate me, Mal."

Malon's hand flew to her mouth. She could feel tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. Link didn't want to tell her...because he thought she would hate him? After all, he had done what he did for the good of Hyrule, hadn't he? There was no way that she could hate him for that. She couldn't even fathom ever hating Link.

"Link..." Malon started, "how could you?"

Link had feared that she would say something like that. He started to stand up.

"What are you doing, Link?" she asked.

"I'm just going to get my things together. I'll be gone soon. I won't need Epona any longer, either." he told her.

"Why would you leave?"

"Malon, I heard it. 'How could you?' You're appalled with what I did. I don't blame you."

"Link, you didn't let me finish. What I was trying to say was, how could you think I would hate you? I don't hate you." she said. _"This is it, Malon. This is where you confess." _"Link, I could never hate you, because...well, because, I love you, Link."

Link, meanwhile, had been standing in a daze. Malon didn't hate him? He felt so relieved when those four words came out of her mouth. _"I don't hate you." _Those four words were all that ran through his head. He was still coherent enough, however, to hear the last three words she'd said to him. _"I love you."_ That put him over the edge. His lungs decided to stop working, and Link could hear Malon's concerned voice as everything went black.

_"LINK...ARe...You...okay...? LINK!?"_

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Malon was sitting on the couch, cradling Link's head in her lap as he lay stretched out. He had simply passed out half an hour ago, right after she had confessed to him. She thought there might have been some other serious injury, and maybe he had passed out from blood loss. However, once she checked him over, she found that he was okay. She wouldn't know what had caused him to faint until he came too.

She glanced down at his face as he lay sleeping. He looked so peaceful, even if he was unconscious. She couldn't resist leaning down and placing her lips on his. What she wasn't expecting was for Link to respond in kind. She squeaked when he did, but didn't pull away. She didn't want to pull away. She was where she wanted to be, with the person she wanted to be with. Link, however, choose that moment to pull back. He couldn't help but chuckle when Malon pouted down at him, sticking her lower lip out and giving him the saddest look she could muster.

"Ah, Malon, don't be sad. I love you, and I don't want to see you said" he said, wondering how long before she would catch what he said.

"Well, that's all well and good, Link, but I was quite happy, and then you go and pull back, and what am I supposed to think, I mean, after all, you just said..." she trailed off, as she thought back over what exactly he did say.

Malon's whole world exploded into stars as Link brought her lips to his.

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An hour later, Link and Malon were still lying on the couch. Link, however, had sat up, with his back against the armrest of the couch. Malon had moved in order to sit on the couch between Link's legs, being careful to keep pressure off of Link's arms. For the past hour, the two had simply sat on the couch, comfortable in their newfound revelations.

_"Is this what it feels like to be loved?" _each of them thought, sighing.

"So, Mal." Link said. "What did you do while I was gone?"

Malon was silent for a moment, going over everything that had happened in the last 24 hours. Suddenly, she blushed furiously.

"We...well, I didn't do too much. I, uh...sat around for about an hour after you left, since you'd already finished the chores. Then, I just made you a few more shirts, since I figured you could probably use some more. After all, I only gave you one."

"Really? Malon, did I ever tell you that you're the best?"

"Eh...not often enough."

"I'm sorry, Mal. I love you, you know that?"

"I do now, Link. I love you too." she told him, smiling.

Sniffing the air, Malon suddenly stood up and turned around in order to face Link.

"And now, mister, you seriously need to get cleaned up. I swear, you smell like the backside of a Goron. And your clothes are no better." she told him, making it clear that she meant business.

"Right away!" he told her, jumping up. "Except, well..." he nodded towards his arms. "I can't exactly move my arms."

"Well, I suppose that means you couldn't really go bathe yourself, huh?" she asked, walking up next to him.

"That's right, Mal."

"Who ever said you'd be alone?" Malon purred in his ear.

_"Hot damn!" _Link thought, his eyes widening.

"Malon, are you sure about that? I mean, I'm sure I'd be okay by myself. I can probably just soak myself clean." he said.

"Oh Link, I'm positive. There's no way you're getting clean by yourself."

"Well, if you say so, Mal." Link said, trying to sound as reluctant as possible.

Smirking, Malon walked into the bathroom, swinging her hips with every step. Link couldn't help but stare at her as she pranced away. He knew exactly what she was doing, and he could feel it starting to work on him. He smiled as her followed her back to the bathroom.

When he got there, Malon had already filled the tub with water from the barrels, and was bending over to light the fire underneath that would warm the water. Link took a moment to watch the sight before him. Walking over, Link knelt down next to her. As Malon sparked the flintstones together once more, Link muttered the words of his fire spell. Malon couldn't hear him, so when the fire leapt up from the wood, she turned and grinned at Link.

"I knew I could do it." she said. "Now we wait."

"Who said anything about just sitting and waiting, Malon?" Link said, as his lips descended upon hers.

Malon was glad that she could be right where she was, with her lips pressed against Link's. She still couldn't believe that Link had returned her feelings.

As Link continued to kiss her, she became aware of a familiar feeling somewhere near the pit of her stomach. She knew exactly what was happening to her, and she had dreaded this moment ever since her little escapade yesterday. She knew that she eventually wanted her and Link to share that special moment together, but she also knew that neither she nor Link were ready for that right now. Especially since Link couldn't work either of his arms. She couldn't help but think, though, back to her wish that she had made yesterday.

_"Ah! If only Link could work his arms!"_ Malon screamed. _"He probably knows how to please a woman."_

Link, meanwhile, had noticed that Malon's thought process was no longer with him. _"I wonder what she's thinking." _That's when he noticed the blush creeping over her face. _"Never mind. I don't think I was to know right now." _Standing up, Link walked over to the tub. He bent his knees until he could feel his hand dip into the water, allowing him to test the temperature. As his hand submerged in the water, he could feel it's warmth seeping into his very bones. _"Now I've just go to calm down the flames so the water doesn't boil." _he said, kneeling down. Grabbing a bottle, he dipped it in the tub to fill it with some water. Judging the fire, he poured some water in a few key places. _"That should maintain the temperature we've got right now. Perfect."_

Walking over to Malon, who was still on the floor, blushing, he tapped her on the shoulder. "Mal." he said.

"Huh? Oh, Link, what is it?" she asked.

"Water's ready." he told her.

"Oh. Well, you go ahead and get in. I'll just go grab us some towels." she said, walking out to the closet in the hallway.

When she came back, Link was still standing in the same spot she'd left him in. Cocking her eyebrow, she walked over to him. "Link, what's wrong. Didn't I tell you to get in?" she said, getting a little angry that he hadn't listened to her.

"Arms. Not working." he said, stating the obvious.

"Oh, right. Sorry Link. I forgot." she muttered, sheepishly. "Well, come here."

He did, and Malon started by removing the slings from both of his arms. She placed them on the counter as Link let his arms hang uselessly. Next, she helped him out of his shirt, and then threw it over so she could wash it later. Walking over to Link to continue undressing him, she couldn't help but take a moment to run her hands over Link's chiseled abs, admiring the muscle definition he had worked up during his adventure.

While Malon was admiring his chest, Link couldn't help but close his eyes as Malon's hands explored his upper body His only regret was that his damn hands couldn't move from his sides!

After Malon was done touching, she unclasped Link's belt, unbuttoned his shorts, and slid them off his body. She threw them over with his shirt, knowing that she needed wash them as well. Turning around, she paused for another moment to admire Link, standing in front of her in only his boxers. Link noticed this too, and couldn't help but grin as he asked, "So, you like what you see?"

"Oh yes, Link. I like what I see." she told him, almost growling as she did.

"Okay then, Mal. I'm going to get in, then."

"Now why would you do that? I'm not done." she said, advancing on him and grabbing hold of his boxers.

"Malon, what are you doing?"

"You can't take a bath unless you're naked, Link. And you're not naked."

"Well, Malon, if you insist..."

She didn't bother taking the boxers off slowly, rather opting to rip them off. Link was surprised when he felt the fabric tear, glancing wide eyed at Malon. Malon wasn't looking at his eyes, though. Her jaw had dropped when she had ripped the boxers off of Link's body. _"Oh my goddess. You really made him perfect, didn't you?"_

"Malon...I'm getting in now." he said, backing away from her and lowering himself into the tub.

As his body sank into the warm water, he couldn't help but sigh and close his eyes. This was exactly what he'd needed. He could feel the warmth of the water working magic on his joints. He hadn't noticed how sore they were. He couldn't help but think that this day could get no better. He found out just out how wrong he was, though, when he felt Malon sink into the water behind him, wrapping her arms around him. Link shifted back and closed his eyes, leaning into Malon's embrace, as the water lapped over both of them. Now his day was perfect.

As he lay there, he became perfectly aware of all the details of Malon's body. He could feel her breasts pressed against his back. Malon had placed his hand gingerly on her leg earlier, and he could feel just how smooth her skin was under his palm. Every part of her perfect body was emphasized as it pressed against his. He could feel his body beginning to react.

And so could Malon, with her arms wrapped around his chest, he hands dangling dangerously close. Suddenly, she felt something brush up against one of her hands. She was startled as tried to figure out what it was. she suddenly grinned as she realized what had happened to Link, and was glad that she could have that kind of an effect on him. She thought about reaching down and taking hold of it, but she knew that would just be mean to both of them in the end, since there wasn't anything link could do for her. No sense getting him all worked up, and then having to stop. Instead, she reached over and grabbed the bar of soap that sat in the corner.

"Okay Link, lets get you cleaned up." she said, working the soap into a lather. She began to rub the bar over his body, meticulously scrubbing his chest. She moved on to his arms, trying to be as gentle as possible so she wouldn't hurt him. As soon as his arms were covered, she ran her soapy hand over his back, scrubbing every inch that she could. once she had rinsed him off, she soaped up her hands again and worked them through Link's hair, trying to cover every single hair.

"Hold your breath" she told him as she eased his head under the water. He came up, sputtering as he tried to clear the water out of his nose.

"All right, fairy boy. You're done. You can get out if you want, or you can wait while I get cleaned up." She was glad when he didn't make a move to get out.

Ten minutes later, Malon was dunking her own head under the water in order to clean the soap out of her hair. Patting Link on the shoulder, she stood up and stepped out of the tub. She tiptoed over to where she had set the towels and picked one up so that she could dry herself off. Link, however, made no move to get out of the tub. Instead, his eyes followed Malon as she walked over and began to towel herself off. He couldn't help but grin when she started to sway her body from side to side, knowing that she was doing it for him. She glanced over her shoulder, looking him straight in the eye, and gave him a wink.

"Oh alright Link. Stop gawking and come dry off." she told him.

He stood up, and once again, Malon couldn't help but stare at him. She had the urge to take him right there, on the bathroom floor. But she wanted it to be special. So she knew she would have to wait. Instead, she walked over and began toweling him off, since there was no way he could do it himself. She was very careful with his lower extremities, since the small amount of attention she paid to it already had him standing at attention. She knew that she was just driving him crazy.

"Alright Link, let's go get you dressed." she said.

"You know, Malon, I hate being helpless. I feel like a baby, since I can't do anything for myself." he told her.

"Yeah, but you got me naked, didn't you?"

"That's true. It was worth it." he sighed, once again glancing over and taking in the sight of her standing naked next to him. "I could get used to this."

"Well, good. Because at least until your arms heal, this is how it's going to be."

"I love you, Malon"

"I love you too Link." she said, pressing herself up against him and pulling his face down to meet hers.

_"I could definitely get used to this." _he thought.

* * *

**And there you have it. Malon is now Link's babysitter until his arms heal. He can't really do much for himself. Of course, as time moves along, he will be able to do more with than just having them hang uselessly. But not much.**

**Next chapter is on the way. Look for it soon. And please leave a review. You don't want to be smote by the goddesses, do you?**


	6. The Loss of a Hero

**So here it is. Chapter 6. Look for a surprise, because I usually hate it when two characters get together early in the story, unless there's a reason for it. I have a reason for it.**

**Anyways, last chapter...Link came back to the ranch after his rescue trip. He ended up spending the night on Epona's back, and Malon had to move him into the guest room. They both confessed, and then Malon forced Link to bathe. and she HAD to join him, since he has two broken arms.**

**My second anonymous reviewer, whom I will call Dan (since that's what was included with the review): Malink is my favorite Zelda pairing too. There's just not enough well-written, lengthy stories out there. And watch out, I doubt you were expecting this twist.**

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**Chapter 6: The Loss of a Hero  
**

One month. One whole month. That's how long it had taken Link's arms to fully heal. During that time, he and Malon had become alot more comfortable around each other, now that they both knew how the other one felt. Link felt guilty alot of time, though, since he was physically incapable of helping Malon do anything. He was just along for the ride. Every time delivery day came around, Link could only watch helplessly as Malon struggled to load the wagon with the crates of milk. Every night, as Link held Malon in his arms by the fire, he told her how sorry he was that he hadn't done anything all day. And every night, as they lay together in Malon's bed, drifting off to sleep, Malon whispered that it was okay. She was just glad to have him there with her.

Each time that Link and Malon stopped in Kakariko Village to make another delivery, Malon insisted that they visit the doctor to see how his arm was progressing. And Link was finally excited. The last time they had stopped in to see the doctor, he had told Link that tomorrow was the day he could take this slings off for good. He was so glad that he would finally be able to use his hands again. He planned on waking up before Malon, and getting through all the chores before she realized he was gone. He had to repay her for all that she had done for him.

_"Malon,"_ he thought, as she drifted to sleep in his arms, _"thank you."_

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Malon woke up the next morning, and instantly noticed a difference. She was alone in her bed. Immediately, she got up and walked downstairs, not even bothering to dress herself. After all, it was only her and Link on the ranch, and there wasn't anything he hadn't seen. Her father had decided that he was going to take an "extended vacation" in Kakariko, but she thought he was just getting an early start on his retirement. It didn't bother her, though. With Link helping, she was more than able to take care of the ranch. She wasn't quite sure what she would do without him.

She opened the front door and walked outside, listening for any sign that would tell her where Link was. _"There"_ she thought, hearing him coming around the corner of the barn. So instead of walking out to meet him, she simply leaned against the door and waited for him to come to her. As he rounded the corner, coming back from the cucco pen, he saw Malon leaning against the door of the house, in nothing but her birthday suit. He couldn't help but grin. She sure knew how to surprise him.

"Link, what are you doing? You know you're not supposed to be doing any physical labor. The doctor told you that." she said, as he came closer.

"Oh Malon, you do realize how forgetful you are, right? Did you forget that the doctor told us that the slings come off today?" he shot back, watching as realization dawned on her face.

_"That's right! I can't believe I didn't remember that." _she berated herself. "I'm sorry, Link. I did forget."

"Well, that's okay. The chores are done, anyway." he told her.

"Thank you Link. You didn't have to do all of the chores. I could have helped."

"Malon, you did more than enough over the past month. I felt that I needed to repay you."

"You didn't need to repay me, Link. After all, I got to bathe with you naked. That's all I needed for payment." she commented, winking at him.

He smiled at her. Over the past month, Malon had really opened up alot more around him. She showed him a side that Link had never known existed. A side that was much more open...sexually. Comments like that one were more frequent, now. But that was something that he loved about her. That she could be that comfortable around him.

"Good morning, love. How are you today?" she asked.

"Well..." he said, glancing at her standing in front of him naked, "I'm doing better now."

"Oh Link, stop." she told him, blushing at his honesty.

"So Mal, what do you want to do today? There's nothing else to do around here, after all."

"I remember there being a festival in Kakariko today. Can we go there?"

"Sure Malon. You go get dressed, and I'll get Epona ready to go." he said.

"Okay. But first, come here."

Link didn't waste one moment closing the last bit of remaining distance between him and the, glancing down, natural red head. As soon as he was close enough, Malon stood up on her tiptoes and placed her lips on his. Immediately, Link felt her tongue pressing against his lips, begging for entry. Link gladly obliged her, and Wrapped his arms around her, as she brought one hand up into his mess of hair, running her fingers through his blonde locks. Link couldn't help himself, as he allowed one of his hands drift down Malon's waist, giving her exposed butt a firm squeeze, causing her to squeak into his mouth and jump slightly.

"Link! What was that for?" she questioned.

"Sorry Mal, I just couldn't help myself. It was so tempting."

"Don't even give me that. I'm going to go get dressed now." she said, shaking her ass at him one last time, before walking back into the house and up to her room.

Grinning to himself, he walked out into the horse field. He placed his fingers in his mouth and blew, letting out a shrill whistle. Epona called out to him, and came running from across the field.

"Come on, girl. We're going for a ride today." he told the horse, walking back out the gate with Epona following him. Sometimes, he thought that Epona was alot smarter than the rest of the horses on the ranch. She always seemed to know what was said to her, at least when he or Malon said it. Trotting ahead of Link, she came to a stop just outside the stables, waiting as Link walked inside and grabbed her saddle and reins. As he placed the saddle on Epona's back and tightened the cinch, Malon came out of the house. She walked over and took the reins from Link's shoulder, where he kept them while he saddled Epona. Fitting the bridle over Epona's head, she tightened the crownpiece and throatlatch.

"Open." she said, placing the bit in Epona's now open mouth. She then took the reins over Epona's head, and ran them through one of the d-rings so that Link could grab them once they'd mounted up.

"Ready, Mal?" the man in question asked, from the other side of Epona.

"Yeah." she said.

Placing his left foot up in the stirrup, Link swung his other leg over Epona's body, leaving it out of the stirrup so Malon could swing herself up in the saddle behind him. There was one thing Link had learned about Malon, and it was that she didn't like Link's help when it came to hauling herself up on a horse. She had, after all, been riding far longer than he had. Link kicked his heels, and Epona started out the gate and across Hyrule Field.

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"Step right up! Step right up! Can you hit all the targets to win a prize?" the man in the booth called.

"Oh Link! Look! They have a giant stuffed Keaton over there. Isn't it so cute?" she said, squealing.

"How much, mister?" Link asked the man that ran the booth.

"10 rupees per game."

Handing the man a yellow rupee, he asked "How do I play?"

"Well, you take this bow and arrow set. The targets will pass by over there, and you shoot them. The more you hit, the better your prize." he explained.

Needless to say, the man was surprised when Malon walked away sporting a new giant Keaton.

"Malon, do you want me to carry that for you?" Link asked.

"That would be nice, Link. Thank you." she said, handing it over so that Link could place it in his handy magic pouch.

"What's over there?" Malon asked, pointing to a large, colorful sign that was surrounded by a group of people.

Come one, come all. See as the fabulous Player's Troupe reenacts the story of the Hero of Time and his fight against Ganondorf!

"Oh, this should be good." Link said. "Let's go find a seat."

"Link, do you really think they'll be able to do your adventure justice?"

"I doubt it, but I want to see what they can come up with." he admitted.

Two hours later, Link and Malon were back in front of the sign, having watched the show.

"Link, I must have missed the parts of your adventure where you rode a flying horse into the sky." she said.

"Yeah, I must have missed it too. Does Epona have any wing-like features that I looked over?"

"Not that I know of."

"Oh well. So, what do you want to do now?"

"Link, I want to go see the haunted well. Can we please do that?"

"The well?" he asked, gulping. "Why would you want to do that?"

"Because you went there, didn't you? I want to go where you've been."

"But I wasn't even down there for an hour. I went in, grabbed the lens, and came out. There's no need to go down there." he said, rather hastily.

Malon glanced at him, finally understanding his reluctance to enter the well again. "Link...are you scared? Aren't you a big boy?" she asked, knowing that eventually he would crack and take her down.

"Fine. I hate you, Malon. It's not fair that you know what buttons to push." he told her, glaring at her. "Come on."

"Aww. I love you too, Link."

"And I'm not scared!" he insisted.

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"Okay, I'm scared! Happy?" Link cried, as another Gibdo rose from the coffin.

"No! Can we just leave? This was a bad idea." Malon called from behind his back as Link stabbed the Master Sword through the new foe.

"Gladly. Head for the door." he told her, watching the room for any signs of movement, as the two of them backed up.

Once the door had closed behind them, they immediately turned back for the entrance of the well.

"Let's never do that again." Malon said once they were back above ground.

"Deal. So, what now?"

"We've been doing what I want to do, Link. What do you want to do?"

"You know what, how about we go visit the Gorons. I haven't seen them in a while, and I'd like to see how things are coming along for them."

"Really, Link? That would be great."

And so, Link and Malon climbed Death Mountain to Goron City. Halfway up the mountain, though, Malon had to stop.

"Mal, what's wrong?" Link asked.

"I can't...walk...a step further." Malon told him, sucking in air.

She gasped as Link came over and lifted her on to his back.

"Hold on." he told her.

Once they had made it up to the city, Link walking as carefully as possible, they were greeted by Link-Goro, who had taken his father's place. Of course, he wasn't fully experienced as a leader, and had gladly accepted the help of an adviser, one of the Goron Elders. Things were running as smoothly as to be expected, considering the position the Gorons had been in only three months ago. Captured and held prisoner in the Fire Temple. As soon as the Gorons were all freed, and Volvagia had been defeated, Goron life had returned to some semblance of normalcy, although there was still a rebuilding effort taking place. Ganondorf had done alot of damage when the Gorons had disobeyed him.

"So tell me, Link-Goro, what has life been like here now that the Temple is safe?" Link asked his young Goron friend.

"It's been...interesting." he admitted. "There was a group of Gorons that didn't agree with what my father had done, disobeying Ganondorf like he did, with no regard for the rest of the clan. They thought we should have just accepted Ganondorf's rule. After we heard about your victory over the King of Evil, they just vanished. We think they've taken up refuge in the Fire Temple. Alot of the old traps have been reset. Alot of the doors have been locked up again. We've heard sounds from deep in the Temple, but no one I send ever makes it very far. They just can't. They come back telling tales of some great winged beast. It's got me worried, Link."

"Have they been causing any trouble here in the city?" he asked, worried for the son of his Sworn Brother.

"The surprising thing is that they haven't set foot outside the Temple. I'm considering leaving them alone. Letting them have the run of the Temple."

"That's a safe bet. Don't get any of your people needlessly hurt. If I get a chance, I might look into it for you. Zelda's got me running one thing for her right now. After that..."

"You have no idea how much I appreciate your help, friend."

"What are heroes for, my friend?" he said, spreading his arms. Glancing at Malon, he said "You don't mind, do you Mal?"

"Link, the only reason I would mind would be if you hadn't offered to help."

"Then it's settled." Link said, turning back to the young Goron.

"It's settled. Let's have a feast, my brother. And, uh...well, I'm not sure. But I can tell that you are important to Link, Sworn Brother of the Gorons. And therefore, Malon, from this day forth, you are the first Sworn Sister of the Gorons." the Goron leader exclaimed. "Now if you'll excuse me, the preparations need to be made."

As Link-Goro left the room, Malon turned to the hylian next to her. "Link, what just happened?"

"You've been accepted into the Goron's clan, Malon. You are a part of their family now, just as I have been since I was ten. It's quite the honor. Not many outsiders are brought into the family. But now that you have been, the Gorons will protect you with their life. And they'll expect the same of you. Gorons are very protective of their family. Plus, you're always welcome here in the city. All other outsiders are usually detained, unless they bear some evidence of ties to the Royal Family."

"Oh. Well, that's awfully nice of them."

"Now let's go see what's going on about that feast. I'm starving." Link said, standing up and offering Malon his hand.

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Link glanced back at Malon, who had fallen asleep with her head on his back. He didn't blame her, either. They had spent the rest of the day with the Gorons, who were very insistent about celebrating the newest addition their family. A first in their history, too. Malon was the center of attention the entire night. Link had almost lost track of her a few times over the course of the evening, as different Gorons whisked her away.

And now, they were headed back to the ranch. The sun was just about the set below Death Mountain, to the west of them. Link wasn't worried, though, as the front gates of the ranch were just coming into detail ahead of them. Not wanting to wake Malon, Link stopped Epona by the intricate gates that Talon had commissioned for times when the ranch was empty. He looked through the bag that Malon had brought with her, trying to find the key that would let them in. He knew that he was going to have to wake up sleeping beauty, however, when it was nowhere to be found.

"Malon, wake up." he said, gently shaking her shoulder.

"Huh, what?" she asked, wiping the drool from the corner of her mouth.

"I can't find the key to the gates. It's not in your bag." he told her.

"That's because it's not in my bag." she responded, reaching her hand down her shirt.

Link took the offered key, staring at Malon. As he unlocked the gates and led Epona in, he said "Now why didn't I think to look there?"

Once Epona was unsaddled and let loose into the field, Malon walked into the house.

"I'll be right there, Mal. I'm just going to go lock up." he told her, walking back towards the open gates.

Staring for a moment at Castle Town, Link knew that he would have to go there tomorrow. He had a job to do after all. And then, something brought his home to his mind. In his mind, he could see himself walking through the Lost Woods. Then, there he was again. But he didn't recognize the part of the woods he was in. Suddenly, a Skull Kid raced by him, grabbing something from Link's bag as he did. Link could see himself run after him, and then, just as quick as the visions had come, they were gone. There was Castle Town again.

Link had a feeling something big was about to go down.

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Malon woke up the next morning, again finding that she was alone in her bed. Before she could pull herself from the covers to search the ranch for Link, she found a note lying on her nightstand. Without reading it, she could already tell it was from Link. As she picked it up and read it, she felt sad that he hadn't had the courtesy to wait for her to wake up, but was glad that he had left early so he wouldn't be back late.

_Malon,_

_I hate to leave before you're up, but I know the longer I wait, the later I'd be getting back. _

_I have to go to Castle Town today. I made a promise to Zelda, and I know she's been waiting for me to take care of it. I've got to clean out the monsters that are still living there so that Zelda can start rebuilding Castle Town to what it once was. This is the only thing I'll be doing right now, and it shouldn't take me more than a couple of hours at the most. Then I've got to go see Zelda._

_Expect me back before dinner. I love you._

_Love,_

_Link_

Deciding there was nothing else Malon could do about it but wait; she got up, got dressed, and went to finish her chores.

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Link tried his hardest to move his body. He hadn't seen the last ReDead hiding behind the booth, and by the time he had, it was already too late. The scream had paralyzed him in his tracks, stopping him from drawing the Master Sword. He'd sheathed it when he thought the last ReDead fell, and was walking towards the broken drawbridge when this one had popped up and gotten him.

Link knew that there was nothing to do but wait for the effects of the scream to wear off. Already he could feel it lessening, as he wiggled his index finger. He just hoped that he would be able to move before the ReDead shambled over and tried to suck the life out of him. That was an experience he would rather not repeat.

The numbness was just starting to recede from his feet as the ReDead jumped at him. Link could feel time slowing in his mind as he saw the ReDead fly towards him, arms and legs spreading in order to wrap around his body.

_"Come on, come on. Move, Link, move! Jump, sidestep, anything!"_ he yelled, hoping to force his legs to shake off the last effects of the paralysis.

As he stood there, watching the ReDead closing in on him, he could also sense the feeling racing down his legs and up his arms. It wasn't until the last possible second, though, that Link was finally able to move. And move he did, as he pulled the Master Sword out faster than even he thought possible. Continuing the momentum, he brought the sword to bear and swept it clean through the flesh of the ReDead still flying through the air at him. He stood there as the body separated, and the halves split apart to land on either side of him. Sheathing the Master Sword one more time, Link decided that he would sweep through the alleys one more time, seeing if any other ReDeads had decided that they were going to hide from him.

Luckily, Link made it back to the fountain without another incident. As he walked back towards the drawbridge, he couldn't wait to get back to the ranch. First, though, he had to go see Princess Zelda to let her know that she could get started. There was alot of work to be done is Castle Town, after all.

Back on the field, he whistled to call Epona back over. She had wandered from the gate in the hours that Link had been occupied, deciding to grab herself a snack.

As she wandered over to him, he began to think back over the vision that he had yesterday. Because he was sure that's what it was. The goddesses were telling him that he needed to go to Lost Woods. And he felt that it was going to need to be soon.

"Okay, Epona. Let's get going." he said, and Epona galloped of towards Kakariko.

An half an hour later, Link was walking through the door of the Skulltula House. Zelda had done alot to it in the month since he'd been here. Last time, the soldiers had simply lit some candles and brought in some beds. The house had still shown most of the signs of its seven years as the keeper of a cursed family. Now, though, Link barely recognized it. Zelda had been busy.

"Link!" the princess in question said as he closed the door. "How are your arms doing? And what brings you here?"

"Castle Town is all yours again, princess."

"Really, Link? That's great! Where are you headed next, then?"

"Lost Woods." Before she could protest, he continued. "I had a vision. Something is drawing me there."

"A vision? Well, there's no way that I can tell you to ignore that. All right, just check back in when you're back, then."

"I'll do that, Zel." he said.

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Reining Epona in, Link couldn't help but feel a sense of dread as he looked up at Kokori Forest and the Lost Wood in the distance. But the goddesses had told him to come here, and there was no going against the goddesses. Something had driven him to come here right away. As soon as he had tried to turn Epona towards the ranch, an overwhelming sense of fear and regret cam over him. And so, he had turned towards the Lost Woods, and the feeling lifted.

"Well, Epona. I can't help but feel that something is going to happen here. So, I want you to go home. Go back to Malon. I'll call you later when I need you." he said, slapping Epona's rump to send her back to the ranch. He couldn't help but think that it was with a sense of worry that Epona trotted off.

Turning around, Link walked over the bridge.

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Malon lay crying on her bed. She didn't do much of anything else these days. Her fiancé had left her there after taking out his latest bought of anger. He'd told her that the hay in the barn was not fit for the cows, wasn't fit for the horses. And so she had to endure the latest round of beatings.

5 years ago. 5 years ago the love of her life had disappeared. She remembered the day clearly. She had never gotten to say good bye. She had never gotten to tell him that she loved him. She had not gotten to give him once last kiss. And later, Epona had galloped in riderless. It was at this moment that Malon knew he wouldn't be coming back.

5 years ago, Link had died.

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**Oooo. Do you really think that I would kill Link off? Come on. Just wait. We'll find out next chapter. I know. Maybe you can guess.**

**Until next time, leave a review. Or maybe Link really will die. Gasp**


	7. The Closeness of a Hero

**It's surprising to me how easy this is to figure out. I thought the visions gave enough clues, but I could be wrong. After all, I know where every plot twist leads. That's why I'm the author. But I'll give it away real quick.  
**

**Insert standard disclaimer here.**

**Congratulations to Skyrunnerwolf. His was the first review that figured out where Link vanished off to. After all, Link never went back in time, so certain events weren't going to happen. But obviously people needed saving.  
**

**Last time? The slings came off, Link and Mal went to a festival in Kakariko, Link cleared out Castle Town, and then vanished for 5 years. Malon ended up with some jerk in an abusive relationship. Sad, ain't it?**

**Also, this is the first chapter in which there will be a scene that fully requires the M rating that the story holds. In other words, the first Lemon of the story. You will be warned, if you really want to skip over the Malink sex.**

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**Chapter 6: The Closeness of a Hero  
**

Fields can be a horrible place to spend the night, Link had learned over the past 3 days. 3 days that must have come straight from hell. Why had the goddesses sent him to that accursed land? Well, sure, they really had needed his help badly, but why did the goddesses force him to repeat the last 3 days over and over in order to do it?

And the people hadn't been any better on Link's personality. The farmers, in particular. When he had walked through the gates of that farm and met the two girls that lived there, the sisters, he had been brought to tears. It had felt like years since he had seen Malon, and now here was her look-alike right in front of him. He couldn't take it, and was forced to leave the farm, tears welling in his eyes, as he promised to come back.

And now, here he was, back on another field. The field he had come to know and love, to be exact. He was intimate with every detail of this field, although the most that he could remember at the moment were the paths he could take that would lead him back to the center of the field, back to the ranch, back to Malon.

He knew she was going to be mad at him. He wouldn't blame her, either. He'd told her to expect him back before dinner, and here he was, half a week later. He knew there was going to be alot of explaining to do. But he was also glad. He had plenty of new storied to tell her about his adventure.

He could see the sun coming up from the direction of Lake Hylia, and knew that he didn't really want to walk the whole distance. And so, he pulled out his ocarina and played the tune that he was most familiar with, the tune that would bring Epona to him.

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Malon woke in the morning, immediately jumping out of bed and dressing. She'd learned after the first time that she wasn't allowed to take her time in the morning. She wasn't allowed to do much anymore. She was expected to cook the meals and do the chores. Other than that, she wasn't allowed to do anything else. Any deviation from the schedule that had been set out for her, and she could expect a severe beating.

The first thing Malon did these mornings was to check on the horses. Epona in particular. Epona had been much like Malon these past 5 years. She hadn't been up to doing much. Whenever Malon looked in on her, she was usually just lying near the fence. Epona didn't move much since Link had died. She was worried. She knew that the poor horse's days were drawing to a close, and there wasn't anything she could do about it.

This morning, though, Malon was surprised to find that Epona wasn't where she normally was. Malon was concerned, and decided to risk taking a moment to look around the ranch, fearing that Epona had moved to die in peace. But she couldn't find any evidence that Epona was anywhere on the ranch.

For the rest of the morning, as Malon completed the chores, she couldn't help but feel a change on the wind.

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It was coming close to 9:00 when Link and Epona finally closed in on the gates of the ranch. He couldn't help but notice that things looked completely different, far different than they were 3 days ago. The first difference Link had noticed was Epona. When she finally came running up to him, she looked as though she hadn't been running in years. So they'd taken it slowly. Link was anxious to get back to the ranch, but he was also aware of a sense of dread the closer he came.

And here he was. He felt the urge to dismount Epona and simply walk with her into the ranch. He was surprised when he did, though. Malon had been REALLY busy these past days. The ranch had been completely redone. The house had been moved to the back of the ranch, and had been remodeled. The stables were no longer located by the entrance, but had been moved farther back, along the outer fence of the ranch. All that was located near the entrance was a booth advertising one bottle of Lon Lon Milk for 50 rupees.

Deciding to see what had happened around here, Link walked up to the front door of the house and walked in. As he shut the door behind him he could hear Malon's voice call out.

"Joseph, is that you?"

"I don't know who this Joseph is, Mal, but I'm back." he responded.

In her room, Malon heard the response. She immediately dropped the bottle that she had been filling as she recognized the voice. Thinking this to be some cruel joke, she rushed out into the entrance room to give this person a piece of her mind. She stopped, however, when she saw the green hat that covered blonde hair. The blue eyes that Malon could already feel herself becoming lost in. The telltale tunic that he'd always worn. "Mal." he'd called her. No one called her Mal anymore, no one except...

"Link!" she cried, flinging her arms around him. "Where have you been?"

"The goddesses choose to play some horrible trick on me. They sent me to this wacky land called Termina. I can't believe I had to spend 3 days there."

"3 days? Link, you haven't been gone for 3 days." she said.

"Yes I have. I spent 3 days there. Of course, I was forced to repeat it over and over."

"No Link. You've been gone for 5 years. We all thought you were dead." she told him.

"That's impossible. There's no way that I've been gone that long."

"Yes you have, Link. I'd given up hope of ever seeing you again."

"But I'm here now, aren't I Mal? Everything can go back to the way it was now."

"No Link, it can't." she whispered.

"Why Malon? Why can't it?"

"Because...I'm engaged."

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Link stormed through Hyrule Castle, not caring who he shoved out of his way as trekked toward the throne room. Not caring about the stares that people shot at him as he passed. Not caring about anything except getting answers. And there was only one person who could give him the answers he needed.

"Zelda!" he screamed, flinging open the doors to the throne room. "I want answers, and I want them now!"

"Who the hell has the nerve...?" Zelda started, as she glanced up from the treaty she was about to sign. Her mouth dropped open when she saw Link stomping towards her.

"How long has it been since I came to see you in Kakariko?" he demanded.

"Link, where have you..."

"How long!" he screamed, placing great emphasis on the two small words.

"5 years, Link. 5 years ago, you told me that you were going to the Lost Woods. 5 years since you vanished. I sent soldiers to comb every inch of the woods when you didn't come back. There was no evidence. It was like you'd never been there."

"5 years..." he whispered. "So she was telling the truth."

"Who, Link? Who was telling the truth?"

"Malon."

"So you've seen her? She told you everything, did she?" Zelda asked.

"If you mean about her engagement, then yeah. She did. But how did you know about that?"

"After you disappeared, I saw her alot. You know, she was here everyday for the first 3 years, asking if there was anything new. We became good friends. But I was saddened when she decided that she finally had to settle for someone else. She had alot of trouble running that ranch by herself Link."

"Then she should have just hired someone to help her, not gotten engaged!"

"That's how it started. He was just there to do his job. But he fell for Malon, and she could see that. She had given up all hope of you ever coming back. We all had. If you'd shown up a week ago..." Zelda said, shaking her head.

"What would have been different a week ago?"

"This Joseph guy only proposed 3 days ago."

"That's just fucking great! 3 fucking days! The goddesses really hate me!" Link cried.

"And Link, there's one more thing you need to know about him. I think he's the same bandit that you saved me from 5 years ago."

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Link had unloaded his things in one of the spare rooms in the castle, fallen asleep, and had immediately left the next morning. He had to go back to the ranch. Zelda's confession had forced alot of thoughts running through his head. She thought that this guy was the bandit boss from 5 years ago. But how? Link had seen him die right before his eyes. Link had seen the Master Sword plunged through his chest, and had seen the blood spurt from the wound, until the heart had beaten no longer.

He knew that he had to meet this new man, as much as he didn't want to. And if Zelda was right, well, he'd take that hurdle when it came.

"Malon." he called out, closing the door.

"What is it, Link?" she asked him, coming out from the bathroom wrapped in a towel, where it was obvious she had just gotten out of the tub.

Link couldn't speak for a moment, becoming aware of just how long he had been away from Malon. He couldn't help but stare at her, the towel hugging all the right places. His hand twitched, longing to reach out and rip the towel away.

Malon noticed too. She was aware of the reaction that Link would have, and she knew what she was doing when she walked out of the bathroom. She had just wanted to see what he was going to do. Malon was fully prepared to explore the relationship that she had with Link, if only he would take the first step. She secretly hoped that she could get Link to rid her of the towel. She longed to feel his hands on her body again.

_"Please Link. Please take me. I never wanted to settle for anyone else, but I couldn't take the lonesomeness anymore. And now I won't be able to get out of it."_

It was then that Link found his voice, and spoke to Malon. "Mal, I want to meet this Joseph that is going to be your husband. After all, I'm still your best friend, right?"

She nodded, and he continued. "And as your best friend, I feel that it's my obligation to see whether or not he's going to be good for you. To approve, if you will."

_"And what if you don't approve Link? What then?"_

"Okay, Link. Let me get dressed, and we'll catch up. Joseph will be back in a few hours. You can meet him then."

As she turned to walk into her room, Malon grabbed the towel from around her waist, giving Link a prefect shot of her backside. Link grinned appreciatively, wondering why she was doing this when she was engaged. His grin quickly fell, as he saw the bruises that covered Malon's back. The last time she had been that bruised, it had been because of...

_"Ingo." _Link thought, sneering.

When she came back and sat on the couch, motioning Link to sit with her, he didn't move.

"Mal, can we go out to the field? It's a little stuffy in here today."

"Sure, Link." she said, standing up and walking with him outside.

As they sat down on the bench outside, Link couldn't hold himself in any longer.

"How long, Mal?" he asked.

"What do you mean, Link?"

"How long? How long has this Joseph been hitting you?" he asked again, spitting out his name.

Malon's eyes widened, and she gasped. How had he figured it out?

"Since he first asked me out." she responded, staring at the ground. "After we started dating, he felt that he had the run of the ranch, even if he was still hired help."

"How can you let him? Why did you stay with him? Why are you going to marry him if he beats you?"

"Because I had no one else. You'd just vanished, Link. One night you'd fallen asleep next to me, and then I didn't see you for 5 years! I didn't even get to say goodbye! You abandoned me!" Malon said, screaming as she jumped out of her seat.

"Malon, it's not like that. The goddesses told me that I had to go to Lost Woods. They made it seem really important."

"Important enough that you couldn't tell me where you were going?" she jabbed back, getting angrier by the moment.

"I tried, Malon. I really did try to come back. But every time I turned Epona back to the ranch, I felt sick. Almost physically sick. So I figured I'd go see what was in the Lost Woods that was so important, and I'd be back before dinner. Just like I'd promised. I wasn't expecting the goddesses to whisk me away to another land!" Now he was getting angry.

"What do you mean, another land?"

"The goddesses called me away to another land. That's where I was these past 5 years. It was some land called Termina, and the moon was going to crash into it because of some evil mask that was controlling a Skull Kid. The goddesses forced me to save that land, just like they forced me to save Hyrule. They never even asked. They just pulled me away from my life here!"

"So you had another adventure? Tell me about it." she said, hoping to calm him down.

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"So then, I had to fight Majora's Mask. And to do that, I had to go to the moon. It was a long fight, but I finally won. He wasn't near as tough as Ganon, though he was as persistent."

"I had no idea, Link. So you were forced to risk your life to save another land? All in the course of 3 days?"

"That's right."

"But then why were you gone for 5 years, if it only took you 3 days to save the land?"

"I don't know, Mal. I really don't."

"I'm sorry, Link. I got angry with you, but I didn't know the whole story."

"No, Malon. I'm sorry. If only I'd gotten back a few days earlier, none of this would be happening."

"I know, Link. But I can't back out of it now."

"I know, Malon. And for that, I am truly sorry. More than I have ever been in my life. But enough about me, tell me what has happened with you while I've been gone."

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It took Malon the next two hours to explain the events of the past 5 years. Her story, coupled with Link's tale of his latest adventure, meant that the sun was starting to go down in the sky when she was finished. During her story, Malon had unconsciously let her head find its way to Link's shoulder. She quickly jumped up, however, when she heard footsteps approaching from the gate of the ranch.

"Joseph's back, Link!"

"Good. I want to have a word with him."

"Malon, who is this?" the newcomer asked, walking up to Link and Malon.

"Joseph, this is Link. He's my best friend, and I haven't seen him in years. He just came by to visit and catch up."

"Well, hello Link. How do you like what I've done with my ranch?"

Link couldn't answer, though. He was too busy staring at Joseph. Zelda was right. This was the same bandit that had kidnapped Zelda 5 years ago. But again, Link was sure that he had died in that cave. Something was up.

"Link. Link, are you there?" Malon said, shaking his shoulder to snap him out of his daze.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry. It's nice to meet you...I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Joseph. Joseph Ralia."

"Nice to meet you Joseph. Well, Malon, I've got to go. I've got some things I need to discuss with a friend. Maybe I'll stop by tomorrow."

"Okay Link, I'll walk you to the gate."

With that, Malon and Link walked to the gate, as Joseph turned around and walked into the house. When he reached up to open the door, Link was sure he glimpsed the symbol of Ganondorf tattooed on his hand.

"So Link, where are you staying? You're more than welcome to stay here with us."

"I really couldn't, Mal. I'm not comfortable with Joseph. I've actually got to talk to Zelda anyway. She's letting me stay in the castle. But thank you for the offer, Mal. Maybe sometime soon..."

"Okay, Link. Please come visit soon. I'm not going to lose you after you just came back."

"I will, Mal."

As they stood at the gate to the ranch, Malon could no longer contain herself. Reaching up, she grabbed hold of Link's head. Bringing him closer to her face, she planted her lips on his for the first time in 5 years. As soon has she had started, she pulled away.

"I still love you, Link."

"I love you too, Mal." he said, as he turned away and walked back to the castle.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"I'm sure that you were right, Zel. I got to meet him in person, and there's no denying it's the same bandit." Link said, sitting with Zelda in the throne room.

"But how, Link. That's the only thing I can't figure out is how. I saw you kill him."

"I believe that I figured that out."

"Please share, Link." she said, intrigued.

"Well, you remember last time, when he admitted to planning on forcing you to release Ganondorf? I don't think that anyone in their right mind would have the guts to do that."

"But he did. I don't see your point."

"I'm not so sure that he did it on his own, though. I think that Ganondorf is using him to make his way back into Hyrule. I think that Ganondorf has somehow possessed him."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because only someone who holds part of the Triforce could possibly have the power to bring back the dead. And I know I didn't do it, and obviously you didn't do it."

"That's true."

"So what can we possibly so about him?" Link asked.

"Tomorrow, you'll go back to the ranch and arrest him for crimes against the crown. We'll just lock him up in the prison that's been built out in the desert."

"I can't do that, Zelda." he responded.

"And why not, Link?"

"Because. I would be forcing alot of trouble on Malon, and I can't do that."

"Well, Link, I though you would be happy to get him out of the way. Don't you want Malon back?"

"I do, but not this way." he whispered.

"Then talk to Malon first. See what she says. I doubt she has any idea about this."

"But if she asks me not to, then I won't do it. You can send anyone else to take him, but it won't be me."

"That's fine. I don't want to hurt her either, Link. She is my friend."

"And she was my lover, once." he said, taking his leave of the princess.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The next morning, Link left the castle early in the morning. He had to go talk to Malon today, as soon as possible. His next step would be determined by her response to everything that he was going to tell her.

"Malon!" he called out. "Where are you, Malon?"

"I'm over here, Link." she answered, peaking out from around the side of the barn.

"Malon, can you come here? I need to talk to you."

"What is it, Link? I don't think I've ever seen you this serious before. What's wrong?" she asked, noticing the look on his face.

"Is Joseph here?"

"No, he's usually gone most of the day. He won't be back until later this afternoon."

"Good. I need to talk to you about him."

"...Okay. What about him?"

"Well, you remember how, before I left, I had to go save Zelda from those bandits who kidnapped her?"

"Yeah. I remember. What does this have to do with Joseph?"

"And remember how I told you about their plan to open the Sacred Realm so Ganondorf could escape?"

"Of course, but I still fail to see how that has anything to do with Joseph."

"And how I told you that I'd had to kill the bandit leader?"

"Again, yes Link. Why are you bringing this up?"

"Well, Zelda and I have figured out that Joseph is being manipulated by Ganondorf...just like he was before I killed him." he whispered.

"Well, how can that be, Joseph has never...wait. Did you say 'before you killed him'?"

"Yeah. Joseph is the same bandit leader that I killed 5 years ago. Ganondorf resurrected him in order to finish carrying out his plan. In fact, that's probably why he took the job on the ranch. Ganondorf knew that I wouldn't be able to kill him if he got close to you. And he's right. Zelda wants him arrested for crimes against the crown, but I told her that I couldn't do it if you told me not to. So my question is, what do you want me to do?"

"Link, this is alot of information to digest. How can I even be sure that it's true? What if he's just a look-a-like?"

"I understand, Malon. Just please, think about it. I'll come back tomorrow for an answer."

"I know you will, Link. But first, tell me. Are you doing this because you want Joseph out of the way? Because you want back what we had?" she questioned, backing him into a corner.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't want that back. But not if it cost you your happiness. And if Joseph is what makes you happy, then I'm not going to take that from you."

With that, Link turned around and walked out of the ranch.

_"Link, thank you for being honest with me."_

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Malon was sitting on the couch, waiting for Joseph to come back from...wherever he was. She wasn't sure where it was he went during the day. Link's words had been running through her head all day, and she desperately hoped that they weren't true. Sure, Malon wasn't necessarily in love with him, but she still didn't want to believe that such a dangerous person had been staying with her for the last year. And yet, she also hoped that it was. Because if it was, then Malon could tell Link, with a clear conscience, to take him away. And it would also let her get back together, something that Malon had been wanting every since Link walked back into the ranch 3 days ago.

But the only way that she would be able to determine what to tell Link would be to talk to Joseph about it.

Just then, she heard the door opening and saw the man she had just been thinking about walk through the door.

"Joseph, I was wondering if we could talk."

"Sure Malon, what do you want to talk about?

"Well, Link stopped by today, and he left me with a couple of questions. Joseph, what do you think about Ganondorf?"

"Ganondorf?" he asked, his eyes flashing with anger. "Ganondorf is the greatest man alive!"

"But he's not alive, Joseph. He's banished to the Sacred Realm."

"He won't be there for long. He will rise up, greater than he ever was, and crush Hyrule under his iron fist. And I will rule beside him as the one who rescued him!" It was clear that Joseph no longer had control over what he said. He was spilling out his true feelings, regardless of what they led to. "And you will be there with me, Malon, as my woman! I will make this ranch the greatest contribution to the great Ganondorf, and help him hunt down the accursed Hero of Time!"

Malon was quickly becoming scared of the change that had come over the man in front of her. He was usually so calm. She didn't know who this person was before her. And then he looked her in the eyes, and she screamed. The eyes that looked back at her were not the clear green of Joseph, but rather a deep, blood red. She had seen those eyes on only one other person. Ganondorf, the King of Evil.

_"Link was right! He is being manipulated by Ganondorf! I have to let him know right away."_

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Oh Link! You were right. Ganondorf HAS been manipulating Joseph, and right under my nose. I can't believe that I almost had a hand in bringing the King of Evil back. Please, do what you must. I want nothing to do with him anymore." Malon cried, flinging herself at Link and burying her head in his shoulder.

Link was instantly all business.

"Malon, I want you to go stay with the Gorons. They'll protect you, since you're part of the clan. I'll come get you once I've brought Joseph to Zelda."

"Please Link. Can I stay here with you for a while. I know that Joseph won't be back until later this afternoon, and I don't think I can bear to be alone right now."

"Of course you can, Malon. But I don't want you anywhere near here when Joseph shows up. I'm not sure what he'll do to you. I don't trust him."

"I don't either."

"Let's forget about that for now. Are you hungry Malon?" Link asked, glancing over at her. She hadn't changed much over the past 5 years. If anything, she had become all the more beautiful.

Malon was thinking the same thing as she looked at Link, noticing how absolutely hot he looked in the outfit he was wearing.

_"Wait a minute..."_ she thought. "Link, is that the same set of clothing I gave you 5 years ago?"

"Well, not the exact same one. But I loved it so mush, I had to get someone to put together another set for me. I still have the old ones, though. Sentimental value."

"Link, you have no idea how much that means to me. Come here, fairy boy."

"Yes Malon, what can I..." Link was cut off as he once again felt Malon's lips against his.

The kiss only became more heated, as Malon let lose 5 years of bottled up emotions. And even though it had only felt like 3 days for Link, he was surprised to find out how much his body had yearned for this. To feel her up against him, every curve of her body pressed up against his, fitting perfectly, like the missing piece of a puzzle. And suddenly, the two of them forgot about food, and found that the only thing that mattered now was the person who was attached to them by the lips. Link let his arms drift to Malon's rear, and he picked her up. She instantly wrapped her legs around his waist, allowing him to kick open the hose door and carry her inside.

Disengaging himself from her lips, he asked only one question. "Where is your bed?" She nodded down the hallway, and Link could just make out the symbol of the Triforce hanging against a wall. So she'd kept it, even when he vanished. He smiled, before Malon grabbed his face and brought it back down to meet hers.

**--LEMON--**

Gently setting Malon down on the bed, Link took a moment to take in all of her body. _"She really filled out nicely" _Link thought, resting his eyes on Malon's firm breasts. Suddenly, Malon had grabbed the shirt she had been wearing and pulled it off over her head. "I take it you like what you see, Link?"

"You have no idea, Malon." he told her, leaning down to plant kisses on her collarbone. He reached his arms behind her back, unclasped her bra, and slid it off. It soon joined her shirt in the corner of the room.

"Oh, but I do, Link." she said, glancing down at the bulge in his pants.

Lifting his head up from her stomach, the latest stop in his trip over her body, he smiled. "Sorry Mal."

"There's no need to be sorry, Link. Now. The shirt. It's mine." she told him, grinning as she grabbed hold of the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head. She was surprised the amount of new scars he sported, but it came with the job, she supposed. And besides, they made him look all the sexier.

With that, she sat up and placed her hands on his exposed chest. Giving a gentle push, she watched him fall on his back. She undid the belt that circled his waist, and then unbuttoned his shorts. Pulling them off, she flung them across the room, paying no attention to where they landed. Opening the drawer of her nightstand, she pulled out the dagger that Link had given her all those years ago. She placed the back of the blade against his leg, and used it to slice through his boxers. Once she had sliced through both legs, she flung the boxers into the trash.

"You won't be needing those anymore." she told him, smirking.

Grabbing hold of his now fully erect member, she began slowly stoking it, as she came in for a kiss. Malon smiled when she head Link begin to groan. She began to trail kisses down Link's chest, listening as his breathing rate jumped with each inch she moved downwards. Eventually, she could feel Link's member pressing just below her throat.

"Oh my Link, what have we here?" she asked just before flicking her tongue across the head.

"Malon! Oh my goddesses!" Link moaned as she took the full length into her mouth. He continued to moan as Malon slid her lips up and down the length of his shaft, circling the head with her tongue each time she came up. Increasing the tempo, she was immediately rewarded when Link's hands entwined themselves in her hair. He didn't push, instead just using her hair as a tether to reality. Malon was excited that she could elicit this kind of a response. She was also glad that he wasn't forcing her to do anything that she wasn't sure she could do, instead just letting her know that he was appreciating what she was doing.

Soon, though, Malon could feel his body beginning to tighten, and she wasn't surprised when she heard him say, "Malon, I'm not sure that I...that I can hold this any longer. I'm about to...about to..." He wasn't able to finish though, and Malon became aware why when she felt him shoot into her mouth. Swallowing as much as she could, she didn't move until she felt that Link was done.

_"Sweet Din, that's not anywhere near as bad as people tell you. In fact, that's quite sweet." _she thought, licking the last of it off of her lip.

Giving himself a moment to calm down, Link reached his hand down to unbutton the shorts that Malon had been wearing. As he slid them off her legs, he couldn't help but notice that her panties were slightly wet. He allowed himself to grin, glad that he was the one causing this.

"Oh Malon, you naughty girl. Getting a little excited there?" he asked.

"So what if I am? What are you going to do about it?" she questioned.

"This." he said, pulling the panties from her body and rubbing one of his fingers over her folds.

"Fuck! Link, don't stop." she cried, already gasping for breath.

He grinned, sliding his middle finger inside. His ring finger soon followed, and Link began to move them in and out, increasing the tempo with each passing moment.

"Link, you have no idea how long I've wanted this."

Link chose not to respond, and instead removed his fingers. As he came up to kiss Malon, she thought _"Did I say something wrong? Why is he stopping? It felt so amazing."_

Her worries disappeared, however, when Link brought his mouth down and kissed her opening. Her hips bucked, begging for him to continue. He couldn't help but oblige, as he allowed his tongue to slip inside and continue where his fingers had left off.

"Oh fuck! Thank you goddesses!" she cried out, self control vanishing from her mind.

What Link did next, though, surprised her the most. She could hear him humming, as his tongue continued to explore. And what more, he was humming the song that she had taught him when they were 10.

_"What in the world is he...OH MY GODDESSES!"_

Malon could only moan as wave after wave of pleasure crashed through her body. Whoever had told him about this little trick was a gift from above, Malon decided. She could feel the pressure building up inside her, and barely had time to cry out "Link, I can't...hold back any...any longer. I'm...I'm going to..." before she could feel the orgasm rack through her body, expelling her juices into Link's mouth. He didn't seem to mind, though, as he brought his head up, smirked, and swallowed.

_"Oh Din, he looks so hot, there with my juices dribbling down his chin."_ she thought, as her body continued to shake.

Link moved, positioning himself over Malon. He glanced down at her, knowing that she was going to hurt, no matter how briefly. Malon, seeing his hesitation, was able to guess his thought, and spoke out, to alleviate his fears. "Link, I've been riding horses for most of my life. I've already broken that. There's no pain anymore. Now please, take me. I want you."

That was all Link needed to hear, and so he thrust himself inside of Malon. She cried out, and Link almost stopped, until he realized that she had cried in pleasure, not pain. As he began to move, thrusting in and backing out, Malon began to move her hips in time with his thrusts.

"Oh my goddesses, Link! Don't stop. Harder! Fuck me harder, please!" she cried.

There was little he could do but oblige, though he was happy to do it. Thrusting harder, he was gladdened when Malon screamed louder than she had. Goddesses, she was hot when she talked dirty like that.

She must have been reading his mind, because she choose that moment to cry out again. "Oh Din, Link! I love the feeling of your cock inside me. Don't stop!"

He wasn't going to be able to keep this up much longer if she kept doing that. However, he continued to pump in and out of Malon, reaching his hand down to circle his middle finger around her exposed clitoris. She cried out his name when he did that, and it just drove him to continue on.

"Link! I'm so close! Please don't stop!"

"Why would I stop, Mal? I'm just as close." he grunted.

He continued his thrusting, feeling the pressure building up in his groin, and knowing that Malon was feeling the same thing. "Oh Link! Oh...oh...Link!" she cried. "Ah, Link, I'm cuming!" she cried. He could feel her walls clamp down on him, and it was all he needed to drive him over the edge.

Malon could feel another orgasm rip through her body, and could feel herself tightening down on Link's member. She felt him release himself as soon as she did, reveling in the fact that they had both orgasmed together. She felt so much closer to him now.

**--LEMON--**

Link collapsed on the bed next to Malon, completely drained of energy. He flipped over onto his back, and Malon scooted over to wrap her arm over his chest, pressing he sweat covered body up against his, laying her head on his chest. She took her finger and began to trace circles over his pectoral muscle, listening to his heartbeat as it began to slow down. She could feel his skin up against her own, and she reveled in that fact.

"Oh my goddesses, Link. I had no idea you were going to be that amazing."

"Neither did I." he told her.

"You mean...?"

"Yeah. This was my first time."

"Well, I never would have guessed it."

"Why thank you, love."

So, fairy boy...you up for another go?" she asked, leaning up to kiss him.

"Yes I am. But are you?" he said, lifting himself up to move.

Malon had a hard time walking when they were done.

* * *

**I decided to stop the chapter there. I originally had the next part, Link's fight with Joseph, in this chapter, but I lost that. I also felt that this was a fine place to stop.**

**So Link and Malon finally did the nasty. Please, please, please review and tell me what you think about it. I can't stress this enough. I really want people's opinions on how it came out. I think it came out great, but it's my words, so I have to think that.**

**School's getting a little hectic the first half of this week. I've got a couple of tests coming up, but they'll all be done by Wednesday. Therefore, I'm not even going to start writing the next chapter until after my tests. So I could throw out a chapter by that night, if I'm really motivated then. Probably Saturday at the latest. **

**Until then, peace out. And please, REVIEW!**

**BlakBlt2**


	8. Duties of a Hero

**Finally, I can write again. I really wanted to throw my studying aside and write, but I also know that I had to study.**

**But now, I'm glad that I can write. I'm surprised to find that, when I actually want to, I enjoy writing.**

**Secondhokage: All I can say is that time in Termina moves differently than in Hyrule. Plus, while Link was rewinding time in Termina, he wasn't affecting it in Hyrule. After all, they are parallel universes.**

**SoulessNightmare: No, they won't. I have some other adventures planned. I'm taking some liberty with the supposed timeline, moving around some events that haven't been given a specific placement. It will be a while before they get to settle down in total peace. Plus, they would be the end of the story. And I'm nowhere near done writing.**

**Skyrunnerwolf: Thank you for the kind words and the well wishes.**

**To those of you wondering why Link went to Termina as an adult, when he was clearly a child in Majora's Mask, please remember that Link did not follow the course of Ocarina of Time. Because in OoT, Zelda sent him back in time, and therefore he was a child when he traveled there. But in my story, Link did NOT go back in time to when he was a child. But Termina would still need to be rescued, so he went as an adult.**

**So last time, Link came back from his 5 year disappearance. Malon told him that she was engaged, and Zelda told him that the man was the same bandit that Link had killed 5 years ago. They figured out that he was being controlled bu Ganondorf, and Link was asked to arrest him. He said that he had to talk to Malon first. Malon had to talk to Joseph (the bandit) before she could say anything. He went crazy, and Malon decided that Link needed to take him down. When she told him this, he tried to get her to leave the ranch. She wanted to spend som more time with Link, though. And she got to spend some QUALITY, PHYSICAL time with him (Wink wink, nudge nudge)**

* * *

Malon had taken Epona and left almost an hour ago. Link knew that by now, she would be safely walking the stairs into Kakariko, He also knew that as soon as she set foot on Death Mountain Trail, the sentries that Link-Goro had posted along the trail would recognize her and bring her safely to the city. He hoped that she would explain to Link-Goro where he had been all these years. It would make his jober easier when he went to get her later.

He didn't have any more time to think about that, though. He could make out a figure approaching from the gate. Immediately, he knew who it was, even before the figure came into definition. After all, Malon had told him that hardly anyone came to visit the ranch, unless they were on business. And Malon hadn't been expecting any business visits.

"Joseph Ralia." he called out as the figure came closer, paying no attention to Link. "By the order of Princess Zelda, daughter of the late King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule and the rightful ruler of Hyrule, you are to be placed under arrest and transported to the castle to await trial."

He wasn't sure if Joseph had heard him, as Link watched him continue walking to the front door of the house. He was surprised, therefore, to see him pause at the door, his handed reaching out to turn the handle. He was even more surprised when Joseph turned to face him.

"And what, pray tell, are the charges?"

"You are charged with abduction of a Member of the Royal Family, as well as conspiring to release a dangerous criminal, one who was convicted of the highest treason and banished from the world." Link told him.

"So I take it you've figured out everything, have you?"

"To an extent."

"This was going to be my masters greatest victory. Revenge against both you and that cursed Zelda. He has been watching you, from the Sacred realm. Watching and planning. He knew that to take you down, he would have to get to those closest to you, to turn them against you. But he knew that would be impossible while you were around. So imagine his surprise when the goddesses whisk you away. We both knew that this was the perfect moment to move in. My master tasked me with getting close to this farm girl. He needed her molded so that he could control her. His plan was to wait until you came back, and then he would have her force you to take your own life, knowing full well that you would if she asked it of you." Joseph revealed, watching Link's expression change to one of horror.

"His revenge against Zelda was much easier. She would have to be killed in order to open the door to the Sacred Realm. Her blood had to be spilled in the Temple of Time. This would open the door to the Sacred Realm, the door that Zelda locked. The door that would lead to my master's freedom!" he cried.

"I take it that's your way of telling me that you're not going to come peacefully?" Link asked, looking at Joseph with a bored expression.

"I suppose you could say that." Joseph said, reaching into his pocket and donning a pair of leather gauntlets. "Look familiar, Hero. Last time, you had to worry about only one. This time..."

He let the threat hang in the air as blades extended from both of his palms. Smiling, he watched Link as he pulled the blades back into the gauntlets. Suddenly, Joesph sprang at Link, landing on the ground in front of the hero and placing his left hand on Link's side. Link could only gasp as he felt the blade grow from Joseph's hand and pierce his side. His surprise didn't last long, though, and he took the opportunity to kick up one of his boots. He was glad to see the dagger that he had hidden there all those years ago fly out it's place in his boot.

Once the blade had reached high enough, Link grabbed the hilt and plunged it into Joseph's back. He grinned with satisfaction when he felt the blade slice into the nerves and bones of Joseph's spine. Joseph grunted in surprise when he felt the blade enter his back, and again when he could no longer feel the fingers of his right hand.

_"Damn lucky shot." _he grumbled.

The loss of his fingers did not affect the movement of his arm, however. He shot the blade out from his gauntlet and swept it at Link's head. Link saw this and pulled his dagger out of Joseph's back, leaping back before the blade could slice through his neck. He'd forgotten about the second blade, and grimaced when he heard it squelch as it pulled out.

It was now that he could finally unsheathe the Master Sword, straightening up and staring at the bandit before him. He could feel the blood begin to leak from the hole in his side, and was sure that if you looked close enough, you would be able to see through it. Malon was going to kill him for that one. He had to finish this quickly. Already, he could feel himself getting weaker as he lost more blood.

Springing forward, Link tried to stab the Master Sword at Joseph. However, he had to spring to his left, as Joseph punched his hand froward, letting the blade spring at Link. The moment Link felt his feet touch the ground, he sprang forward again. This time, Joseph wasn't fast enough to turn and defend himself. Link's efforts were rewarded when he felt the Master Sword slice through the tendons that held Joseph's arm together. Link watched with satisfaction as the arm separated from Joseph's torso. Now, the battle was even easier for Link.

Joseph had backed away from Link once he'd felt his arm fall to the ground. He could see his own death flashing before his eyes...again. He knew that if he didn't come up with something quick, he wouldn't survive another 10 minutes. Hell, he probably wouldn't last 5 at this rate. Unfortunately, he couldn't come up with anything what would give him the upper ground. His only hope was to even the playing field with one last strike.

Link was thinking along the same lines, although he wasn't desperate. He was just tired of fighting. He wanted to take a nice long vacation after this. Tell Zelda to take her requests and shove them. She's got soldiers, they're probably better trained than they were 5 years ago. And she could handle the kingdom on her own. Link was just ready to take a break, even if he knew in the back of his head that it wouldn't last. So when he saw Joseph preparing for what could only be his last strike, Link decided to oblige, and did the same.

Suddenly, both swordsmen flung themselves forward. There was a flash, and Link and Joseph were on opposite ends of the field, backs facing each other. Neither was sure who had struck the final blow, but both were sure the battle was over. There was no denying the surety that their strike had held behind them.

Link was glad when he heard the gasp behind him. He could distinguish the sound of blood being forced through the lungs. Suddenly, Joseph coughed up a large amount of blood, watching in horror as it spilled on the ground before him. He didn't want to die again. Ganondorf had tormented him last time for failing, and it wasn't something he wanted to repeat. But it was too late now. There was no backing out. He had to go face his mater again.

That was his last thought, as his body fell forward, blood spilling out of his open mouth.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Link watched as the drawbridge to Castle Town slowly rose behind him. He had been able to convince to guards to lower it and let him out. He was glad, too. He didn't really feel like being stuck in town all day. He just wanted to get to Goron City and make sure that Malon was okay.

Thinking of Malon, Link couldn't help but blush. He really wanted to know what was going to happen between them now that he was back. He was confused about it all, especially since the events of earlier today.

_"Goddesses, please tell me that she hasn't changed her mind and regrets what happened. That would kill me." _Link prayed.

There was nothing he would be able to do, though, and so he tried to pull his mind from Malon. He thought about his short visit to Zelda recently. Dropping off a bloody bag at her feet, not caring about who else was there. He felt that the body should probably still be locked up, even if he was dead. Who could trust Ganondorf anyway. He'd told her the same thing, too. "Lock up the body. I don't trust Ganondorf." After what Joseph had revealed to him, he wasn't sure that any of them would be safe for long.

Link brooding was cut short, however, when he looked up and found himself standing at the foot of the stairs leading to Kakariko. He couldn't help himself, and sprinted the rest of the way, up the mountain to see Malon and the Gorons.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"I'm sorry, Link." Link-Goro said, watching as Link's face fell. "We never saw any sign of our sister making her way up the mountain. We didn't even know she was coming."

"What are you talking about? I saw Epona down in the village. I know Malon made it that far, and I know you have Gorons watching the trail! They would have seen her the moment she started climbing!" Link screamed.

"Well, Link, I'm sorry. There actually wasn't anyone watching..the..." Link-Goro couldn't help himself, and burst out laughing. "The look on your face! Priceless!"

"What?"

"I'm messing with you, brother. Malon made it here fine. She's in one of the extra rooms. I think she said she was going to bathe, or something." Link-Goro confessed. "It was her idea to lie, by the way."

"I will kill you. Brother or not. That was not funny."

"It was a little funny. The look when I told you that, that made it all worth it."

"Whatever. I'm going to go find her, you little punk. Care to point me in the right direction?" Link asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Over there." Link-Goro said, pointing up to a door on the top floor.

"Thanks." Link responded, and made his way to the room his brother had pointed out.

"Hey, bro! You care to tell me what you've got there? I've never seen a case like that." Link-Goro asked, pointing to the case that Link had brought with him from the ranch.

"Nope. It's a surprise."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Walking into the room that Malon was staying in, Link immediately heard the sound of running water. Grinning, he contemplated what to do. He could either go join Malon, an idea that was growing on him more and more as the minutes passed, or he could make himself comfortable on the bed and surprise her when she got out. He couldn't decide. After all, he was a fan of surprising Malon. Of course, he also was a fan of a naked Malon. It was a tough decision.

It seemed, though, to be a decision that was made for him. Link quickly threw himself on the bed when he heard the water stop running.

Malon had just stepped out of the shower, something that she was glad for. Zelda's inventors had just figured out a system for heating and moving water about a year ago, and the shower had been born. Malon was glad that the craze had caught on and become widely accepted.

Letting her thoughts wander from the shower, she wasn't surprised when they landed on a blue eyed, blonde haired hero. She couldn't help but smile thinking about him. Hopefully he was safe. She really couldn't wait to see him again.

And naturally, her thoughts took a turn towards the events that the two of them had participated in earlier. _"I can't believe that actually happened." _Malon said to herself. She had told herself, ever since she'd learned what sex was, that she was going to save herself for Link. And once he'd disappeared, she thought it would never happen. And now, he hadn't even been back a week, and they'd already done it! _"And it was amazing."_ she thought.

Shaking her head, she let those thoughts drift away. There's no point in thinking about it now. It wasn't like Link was here, and if she kept thinking about it, she'd just want more. She grabbed the towel from the wall and wrapped it around her slim frame, letting it soak up the water from the shower. Then, she reached out and grabbed the other towel so that she could dry her hair. Thinking that she was alone, Malon walked out into the bedroom.

Needless to say, she was surprised to see that she was not alone. In fact, the person in the room was the same hero that she had just been thinking about. She grinned, seeing him asleep on the bed.

_"__He must have just gotten here" _she told herself. _"He must be exhausted. I don't blame him. It is getting late, and I'm sure he worked himself to death."_

Thinking that she would situate him more comfortably in the bed, and then join him, Malon walked around to move Link under the cover of the bed. However, she stopped when she noticed the dark stain that was slowly covering the right side of his shirt.

_"How did...he must have...Did he get hurt fighting?" _she questioned, wondering exactly what had happened.

Then, Malon thought to look closer at the sleeping hero. She gasped, noticing just how pale he was. _"He's losing too much blood. He didn't fall asleep because he was tired!"_

Running out the door, Malon screamed for Link-Goro to come quickly. Every Goron in the city stopped what they were doing when they heard Malon's voice ring into every nook and cranny of the cavern. Suddenly, the door to Link-Goro's room burst down, and the Goron crashed through the rubble. He didn't bother with the stairs, instead opting to jump up and grab the ledge of the floor above him. Less than 30 seconds after she screamed, Link-Goro was coming to a halt in front of her.

"What's going on?" he asked, catching his breath.

"I need medical supplies. Link's in critical condition!" she cried.

"Okay, Malon. Let me see what we've got." he said, walking away.

"Don't walk! Run!" she screamed at him.

Turning around, Malon rushed back to the bedside and tore Link's shirt off him. She gasped when she saw the hole in his side. She could see the blood pouring out of the wound, and knew that she had to do something to stop the flow until she could stitch the would closed. Glancing around, her eyes landed on the shirt that she had been wearing earlier, before she had gotten in the shower. She grabbed it and stuffed it into the wound, sighing as it immediately began to absorb Link's blood. She noticed, however, that the pool of blood forming on the bed underneath Link was not slowing down. _"Did whatever caused this wound..."_ she wondered, reaching down to turn link on his left side. She couldn't stop the second gasp when she saw the exit wound in Link's back, still pouring blood. She looked around again, wondering what she could use to stop this wound from killing Link. This time, her eyes landed on her discarded panties. _"Damn it, I really liked that pair." _she whined, stuffing the panties in the wound on Link's back.

It was then that Link-Goro showed up. "Here's everything that I could find, Malon." he said, his eyes darting to the shirt that seemed to grow from Link's side. "Is he going to be okay?"

"As long as I can get these wounds stitched up, he should be fine." she responded. "I'm just worried about the blood he's already lost. He's going to need alot of rest when we're done here."

"You two are more than welcome to stay here as long as you need. You are both family, after all." Link-Goro told her, leaving the room.

"Thank you, brother." she said, pulling her bloody shirt out of the wound.

She had to work fast.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

6 hours later, Malon set the needle down. Her hand came up to her forehead to wipe away the beads of sweat that had collected just above her eyebrows. She had just finished stitching the hole in Link's back. From what she could tell, whatever had caused the hole in his front had caused the same hole in the back. It had gone clean through. She also theorized that Link had been stabbed with some sort of sword. She hadn't seen any sword wound like this, and she had seen her share of sword wounds.

After Link had vanished, she had talked Zelda into getting her some medical training. The two of them had become close, and Zelda had most of the best doctors staying in the castle. They'd instructed Malon on alot of the basics of medicine, and had justs begun to teach her about some of the points of war wounds before Joseph had come into the picture. He hadn't been too thrilled about her learning medicine. At first, she hadn't cared, but when she'd had to explain the bruises she had started coming in with, she'd thanked the doctors, and told them maybe she'd be back. That had been 4 months ago.

Now, she was just glad she'd gotten the training that she had. It had come in extremely handy fixing up Link. She could see that, fortunately, the sword had missed any of his vital organs, instead just grazing his bottom rib. He was going to be sore as hell, but he was going to live. Now, though, he just needed some rest. Leaving him on the bed, she went to tell Link-Goro how things had gone.

As she was walking put the door, though, she could hear Link groan behind her. He was waking up. She turned around, rushing back to his side before he could do anything to reopen his side.

"Ugh. Why do I hurt so much?" he asked, rubbing his forehead and trying to sit up.

"Stop." Malon said, pushing him back down on the bed. " You lost alot of blood. Whatever happened to you, whatever stabbed you through the side, you got lucky, bud. It didn't take out anything important, just a chunk of your lower rib. You need to stay in bed and rest. No walking around for a couple of days. You've got alot of blood to replace."

"Yes doctor." he said, ceasing his struggles.

"I'll be right back, Link. I've just got to go tell your brother that you're okay."

"Yeah, yeah, I could care less. The little Goron can burn for all I care." Link said, grinning.

"Don't be mad at him, Link. It was my idea to play the joke on you."

"I know, but I can't be mad at you." he told her.

"Oh really? And why is that?" she asked.

"Because you're too cute. Now come here." he said, motioning her closer with his finger.

When she was close enough to him, his hand shot out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her down to the bed. She allowed herself to fall, but made sure not to land on Link. As soon as she had settled on the bed, Link leaned over her, and before she could stop him from moving, she felt his lips descend on hers.

_"Link-Goro can wait." _she decided.

At the same time, Link was thinking something entirely different. _"Does she realize she's still naked?"_

* * *

**Okay. I'm going to have to stop there. I've been having some serious writers block recently, and I feel that if I wrote anymore, I'd be forcing out a bunch of crap. And I don't want to do that to you readers.**

**The case? Watch and wait. It's a surprise.**

**I know, I know. I said Friday. But, writers blocklateness. My apologies.**

**Hopefully, I'll get over this. I really don't want to keep you guys waiting.**

**Please, read and review. This has been getting alot of attention, so I know you're reading it.**

**Peace out,**

**BlakBlt2**


	9. Talents of a Hero

**I'm back! Did you miss me? I was catching up on Death Note, which I hadn't seen in a while. I must say, even though I thought L was a nice guy, I found myself waiting for the moment when he would die. Poor way to go, though.**

**Ah, but that probably doesn't interest you. You're here for Zelda, not Death Note. Although, if you like that show, I found myself perusing the selection of stories over that way, and was saddened (yet again) by the lack of stories that were actually long and engaging. Although I kinda focused on the LightxMisa pairing. So...I might find myself writing another story to deal with that problem. After all, that's the reason you're reading this story now.**

**Anywho, lets get back to the reason you're here,reading THIS story, and that is reading this chapter. You want to see some good ole fashioned Malink, don't you? I think I can oblige that.**

**Last time...well...Link had to take out the bad guy, who just happened to be engaged to Malon, since Link had disappeared for 5 years. He did it, but he ended up in pretty critical condition. Malon had to do some pretty heavy surgery to get him fixed up.**

**I think it's time for a little more fluff between the two. Who knows what'll happen. And the case Link had with him in Goron City, I got some good plans for that one. But you probably won't get to know this chapter. I dunno. As of today, I changed my mind. You do get to. But I'm not going to change my note. Otherwise you would never know that I had considered leaving you in the dark for a while.  
**

**Remember: As much as I wish I did, I own none of these characters. If I did, we wouldn't be speculating about Link's love interest.**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Talents of a Hero**

Link's eyes slowly fluttered open as he tried to sit up in the bed he found himself occupying. That is, until he noticed that his actions were halted by a pressure around his chest. He glanced down and smiled when he noticed his bedmate. She was a vision of beauty, lying there, her face buried in his chest. He thought he detected a hint of drool at the corner of her mouth, but he didn't mind. In fact, it just made her look all the cuter.

Deciding that, based on the numbness in his rear, he had been lying in bed for quite some time, he felt that it was more than appropriate to wake Malon. Shaking her gently on the shoulder, he whispered "Malon. Malon, time to wake up, love."

After shaking her once more, she started to stir. Sitting up, she wiped away the drool with the back of her hand. She still seemed a little groggy as she looked around the room, taking in the sights and determining just where they were. It was then that she let the sheet drop from her frame, revealing her body in all its naked glory. Link couldn't help but stare, trying to force the blood to keep from shooting out his nose. No matter what the two of them went through, he would always find himself surprised at her beauty.

"Malon, you do realize..." Link started, only to be cut off when Malon decided that was the moment to swoop in for a good morning kiss.

"Yes. I do. Do you have a problem with it?" she said, shifting her body in order to give him a better view.

"Now, Mal, I never said that. This is something I could definitely get use to."

"Well, you better. Because I'm hoping that it'll be an everyday occurrence." she told him.

"Oh really? Sounds good, Mal." he shot back, grinning. "After all, I could really relax with you on the farm."

"Really Link? Do you mean that? That would be wonderful." she said, her eyed sparkling.

"I mean that, Malon. I love you."

"I love you too, Link." she said, coming in for another kiss.

"I missed you, Malon." he told her when they finally separated.

"But Link, it wasn't even 3 hours. How long were you even waiting for him?" she said, disgust crossing her face when she thought about Joseph.

"An hour or so. But I still missed you."

"Aw Link, that's sweet. But speaking of yesterday, you care to tell me how you ended up with a hole clean through your side?" she said, her voice rising with each syllable.

"It's complicated, Mal."

"Don't try and feed me that bullshit, Link. It's not complicated, and you know it. Don't try and protect me, because it just hurts more that you don't trust me." she cried, tears forming in her eyes.

"Malon, please don't cry. If you want to know, then I'll tell you everything." he said, trying to calm her down.

"I want to know everything that happened yesterday, Link."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Malon was lying in the bed, her body curled up against Link. He had just told her everything that had happened on the ranch once Joseph had shown up, ending with his death.

"So, Link, is what Joseph said true? Would you really take your life if I asked you to?" She had to know the truth.

"Honestly? Yes. It is true." he told her, refusing to look her in the eyes.

"Why Link? Why would you do that?"

"Because. Your happiness is the most important thing to me. I'd do anything that would make you happy."

"Link, you dying would not make me happy. I don't know if I would be able to live if you weren't here. The last 5 years were hell."

"I'm truly sorry, Mal. I wish I could have been here."

"I know. Now, you said you'd do anything, right?" she asked, smirking at him.

"Yes, Malon. Anything." he said.

"Anything? Even if it was crazy and outrageous?" she questioned.

"Anything, Mal. Absolutely anything. Why? What are you trying to get at?" Link was curious where she was going with this.

"Well..." she whispered, pressing her fingers together. Link could tell that whatever she was going to say, she was extremely nervous about it.

"Come on, Malon. You don't need to be nervous. Just tell me what it is I can do to make you happy." Link asked, beginning to beg. He was extremely curious as to what she wanted.

He stopped, however, when he felt something wet begin to cover his leg where Malon was pressed against him.

_"Wait. Does that mean she's trying to ask me...?" _Link thought.

"Link, I want you to make love to me again." she muttered, almost to herself.

"Oh really?" he asked, surprising Malon when he spoke.

_"Did he hear that!" _Malon said, surprised at Link's hearing prowess.

"I'll tell you what, Malon. It's going to be a surprise. All day, you're going to have to look over your shoulder, wondering when I'm going to come up and" he said, leaning close to her ear for the last two words, "take you." he whispered, allowing his fingers to pass over her exposed folds. Malon was left breathless, both from his touch and the way he had just spoken to her. She found it to be such a turn on. She was not going to have a productive day, but Link would make that all worth it.

By now, she had recovered enough to notice that Link had gotten out of the bed and gone into the bathroom. He looked better than he had when she'd finished stitching him up, and she thought that it was okay for him to be walking around. However, she was going to advise him not to do much other physical activity, at least for part of the day. She wasn't sure he could handle anything harder than walking around this morning. After lunch, Malon was sure that he'd be fine.

"Hey, Malon! You want to come explain to me how I'm supposed to work this contraption?" Link called from the bathroom.

_"He must be talking about the shower. It's not that surprising, since he's been gone for so long."_ she thought. _"I could use this to my advantage."_

"Sure, Link. I'm coming." she said, skipping off towards the bathroom. If Link could have seen her face, probably would have been worried about the large grin she was sporting.

"So, Mal, you care to explain to me what this contraption is?" Link asked.

"Well, it's a shower, Link. It's just a simple way for us to heat and move water. It's all done with pipes and a big fire somewhere. I don't quite understand it."

"Seems like a lot happened while I was gone. Well, I'm going go ahead and use it, Mal. I stink." he said.

"Right. I'll just be joining you, then. I'm not entirely sure that you wouldn't pass out in there."

"Yea, sure, Mal. You can make whatever excuses you want. You just want to see me naked."

"So you caught me." she said, shaking her chest in his direction. "Link, up here."

"Huh? What? Was I…?" he asked, shaking his head.

"Yeah. It's okay, though. I really don't mind. You can stare all you want." She said to him, winking as he turned beet red.

Suddenly, Malon felt his hands around her wrists, and he pulled her up to him. She sighed as she felt his lips press against hers, and she could feel the hunger behind the kiss.

Link's tongue passed over Malon's lips, light as a feather, begging for entry, which Malon gladly granted him. He could taste the distinct flavor of Lon Lon Milk, and he smiled to himself. It was the only taste that he truly associated with Malon, and he knew that nothing else would have fit her.

Malon's hands began to explore Link's exposed chest, and she ran her hands over the fresh scars. She knew that Link had not told her every story that was associated with every scar he had. She assumed that there were stories that Link truly wished to forget, and that was something that Malon respected. She wanted to know where all the scars had come from, but she never wanted to press him for anything. He'd tell her in time, if he wanted to.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Malon never would find out where each and every scar had come from, but over the years she would become so intimate with his scars that she would be able to trace all of them with her eyes closed. It was something that she would do when she and Link lay in bed every night. He never complained about it, and Malon came to believe that he actually enjoyed the feeling of her fingers tracing his old wounds.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

As Link continued his exploration of Malon's mouth, she took the opportunity to hook her fingers into the belt loops of Link's shorts. Luckily, she had removed the belt last night before Link had fallen asleep, so that he wouldn't hurt himself if he shifted into a position where the belt pressed into his waist. It was because of this that Malon was able to yank the shorts right off Link's body. He gasped when she did this, but was prepared when the boxers soon followed. She smirked when she saw just how ready he was

Link also smirked, jumping back out of her range before she could do anything.

"No Malon. I get to choose, remember. You just have to wait. You have to behave yourself." he said, smiling as she pouted at him.

_"Damn him. He's such a tease. And I thought this could work in my favor."_ she said, angry that Link had apparently seen through her plan.

"Now, I'm getting in." Link said, stepping into the shower. From behind the curtain she heard him ask "Are you coming or not?"

"Yeah yeah. Hold your horses, fairy boy." she said, climbing into the shower after him.

**--LEMON--**

Suddenly, she felt him wrap his arms around her from behind. Her pout only deepened when she felt his member slide between her legs as he pulled her into his chest. She could feel the tip poised just outside her entrance, and she squirmed, trying anything that could get it to slide in. She wanted to feel him inside her, but apparently he was going to be teasing her all day. It just wasn't fair.

Behind her, Link was smirking. He could feel her squirming in his grasp, and he knew exactly why she was doing it. Truth be told, he was contemplating satisfying her needs now, instead of torturing her all day. He knew she was ready, he could feel the heat from her slit. His self control was already waning. His right hand came up and began to massage her breast, listening as a soft moan made its way over Malon's lips.

He let his other hand drift down, over the short hairs that marked Malon's most private of areas. He could hear her breath hitch as his hand drifted lower and lower. Suddenly, he found his hand positioned over the folds of her womanhood. He slowly began to run his fingers along the outer edges of the lips, and his right hand came up to her cheek, moving her head to allow him better access to her mouth. He could hear her moan as his hand returned to its previous ministrations, pinching her erect nipple between his fingers. She gasped, and Link was pleased when he figured out that the gasp was one of pleasure.

Suddenly, Malon's hand grabbed his left, maneuvering it so that his fingers danced along her opening. Getting the message, he slid his fingers in, reveling in the warm feeling that enveloped them. He could almost feel her aching, begging him to please her in a way that only he could do. And Link was more than glad to oblige her.

Malon let out another moan, louder than the first, when she felt Link's fingers slid into her. She almost lost control of her body, and amazed herself by keeping upright. She kept herself from crying out, sure that if she did, some curious Goron would come see what was happening. Malon had, luckily, had the foresight to lock the door of the room before she had joined Link, but she didn't doubt that they would break down the door if they thought she, or Link, was in trouble.

In her head, however, it was a different story. Her thought betrayed her, and she was sure anyone who could have heard her thoughts would have passed out on the floor shortly after they started listening.

_"Oh goddesses, please fuck me Link. Fuck me hard!"_ Malon thought.

She didn't have to wait long, as she felt Link's fingers pull out. His hand grabbed her thigh, lifting her leg and placing her foot on the ledge of the shower. This gave him better access to her opening, and he took the opportunity to slowly slide himself inside. Malon gasped out loud when she felt him do this. Even though they'd done the same thing yesterday, she had forgotten just how wonderful it felt to have him inside her.

Suddenly, he pushed even farther in, and Malon cried out in pleasure when she felt him brush up against something deep inside her. Link's hand came up to massage her breast, and he started to pump himself in and out. Malon couldn't help herself, and let her moans started to pick up in volume. She could feel the warm water cascading over their bodies, and it only served to increase the heat she felt radiating off Link's chest as he continued to thrust.

"Faster" she moaned, breathlessly.

She almost thought that he hadn't heard her, until he doubled his tempo. Malon could hear him behind her, his breathing rate slowly climbing with each thrust he made. She leaned her head back and tilted her head to the side, listening to his heart pounding in his chest. Her lips trembled. She brought her hands up, cupping them around Link's cheeks, pulling his face down to capture his lips. Her back arched slightly, and she moaned into Link's mouth. She flicked her tongue over his lips, and when they parted, her tongue ventured forward, finding Link meeting her halfway.

She broke away long enough to speak, her voice soft, as her willpower was not focused on speaking. "Oh Link. Harder!" she whispered. She felt him comply with her wishes once again, and, if it weren't for Link's hands pinning them in place, she was sure her breasts would have been bouncing with the motion. His hands continued to massage her chest, and Malon couldn't help but moan.

She felt hot breath on her neck, and was surprised when Link started to trail kisses down her neck, to her collarbone, and back up along her jaw line. He stopped briefly to place a kiss on her lips, and then he turned his attention back to the parts of her body that he could currently reach. She closed her eyes and let him continue.

She could feel the pressure building deep inside her, and she knew that she was coming close. Her breath started coming in gasps, and she could her Link groan behind her. Her eyes rolled up into her head, and her eyelids fluttered open.

"Ah! Link! I'm going to cum!" she screamed, moments before the orgasm rolled through her body. She could feel Link's release, and shakily reached her hand up to grab hold of his. She squeezed it, before her legs gave one final shake and failed her. She started to slump down to the floor of the shower, but then she felt Link wrap his arms around her and hold her up.

**--LEMON--**

Link couldn't hold himself up much longer, let alone both him and Malon, and so he slowly lowered himself until he was sitting on the floor, pulling Malon with him into his lap. The two of them sat there for a moment, allowing their breath to slow down as the water continued to run over them. Malon was silently panting in front of him, her chest heaving up and down.

"I really missed you, Link." she said, closing her eyes.

"I missed you too, Mal. But I really wasn't gone that long, remember. You said it yourself." He reminded her, her breathing returning to normal.

"I don't care. I still missed you." she responded, matter of factly.

He grinned, bending his head down to place another kiss on her lips. "So tell me, Mal? How was that?" he asked, smirking

"Oh Link, you have no idea. I'm just sorry I couldn't see you."

"I'll remember that, then."

"I guess I don't have to be looking over my shoulder anymore today, huh?" she asked, hoping that she was wrong.

"I wouldn't say that. You never know. Now, how about we get cleaned up?" he asked, slowly making his was to his feet.

He held his hand out to her, and she knew he would always be there, his hand extended for her, helping her along the way.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

It was late when Malon opened her eyes. The room was still dark, and looking out the window, she could see it was still night. The day hadn't been eventful after her shower with Link that morning. Link-Goro had insisted on catching up with both of them, since Link had been gone for 5 years, and Malon hadn't had the time for visits, what with helping Zelda search for Link. And then Joseph had come along, and Malon hadn't dared leave the ranch, fearing what he would do to her, or the animals.

He had insisted on another feast, just as grand as the last one Malon could remember. The Gorons had been more than happy to celebrate the return of two of their family members, and the party had gone on long into the night. She had insisted to Link that they slip away to get some sleep, and he had agreed, looking about ready to drop himself. Malon could still make out the faint noises of some of the Gorons still partying away in the main hall.

She tried to figure out what had woken her. She was sure that she'd been so exhausted that she would have slept through the entire night. With a slight shiver Malon realized that it had been the cold that had snapped her out of her slumber. The door to the balcony was open, and a cold wind was blowing through it. It was chilly brushing up against her bare skin. Glancing next to her, she was surprised to see that Link wasn't with her. She wondered if he hadn't been able to sleep, and had gone out for a walk.

She was about to get up and go look for him when she heard something other than the sound of wind drifting thought the open door. She couldn't quite place what the noise was coming from, but she could just make out a crop of blonde hair peaking out at her from over the top of the chair that sat on the balcony.

_"So that's where he is." _she said, grabbing Link's discarded shirt form the chair near the bed. It was cold out, after all, and she didn't want to catch a cold.

As she made her way out to Link, the sound she was hearing was only getting louder. She couldn't shake it from her concentration, and she couldn't help but think how beautiful it sounded. If only she knew where it was coming from!

When she walked out onto the balcony, she opened her mouth, preparing to ask Link if he was okay. Before she formed a word, though, she noticed that the sound she had noticed was coming from some thing that Link was holding in his arms. He was plucking at the strings of it with his fingers, and Malon noticed that each string seemed to produce a different sound. She was about to ask Link exactly what it was he had there when he opened his mouth and started to sing, his voice matching time with the sounds his oddity was making. She could only watch as his fingers danced over the strings, and listen as the words flowed sweetly from his mouth.

"I can't get to sleep  
I think about the implications  
Of diving in too deep  
And possibly the complications

Especially at night  
I worry over situations  
I know I'll be alright  
Perhaps it's just imagination

Day after day it reappears  
Night after night my heartbeat shows the fear  
Ghosts appear and fade away

Alone between the sheets  
Only brings exasperation  
It's time to walk the streets  
Smell the desperation

At least there's pretty lights  
And though there's little variation  
It nullifies the night from overkill

Day after day it reappears  
Night after night my heartbeat shows the fear  
Ghosts appear and fade away  
Come back another day

I can't get to sleep  
I think about the implications  
Of diving in too deep  
And possibly the complications

Especially at night  
I worry over situations  
I know I'll be alright  
It's just overkill

Day after day it reappears  
Night after night my heartbeat shows the fear  
Ghosts appear and fade away  
Ghosts appear and fade away  
Ghosts appear and fade away"

Malon stood there, stunned by what she had just heard. The way it had sounded, he was still tormented by everything that had happened to him. It sounded like the memories of it all kept him up at night sometimes. She had an overwhelming urge to sit with him and hold him in her arms, hoping to chase the nightmares away.

Slowly, Link set his contraption down and slowly turned to face her. From the surprise displayed on his face, it was evident that he'd expected her to still be asleep. "Malon, what are you doing? Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"I couldn't sleep, Link. I was cold. You weren't there with me." she said sheepishly, glancing at the floor.

"I'm sorry, Mal. I just had trouble falling asleep. So I came out here. It usually helps me to just look at the stars." he told her.

"So tell me, fairy boy. What is that thing?" she said, pointing at his feet.

"It's called a guitar. I learned how to play while I was gone. It kinda...came to me. I have a few with me, but I dropped them off at my old house. This one's called an acoustic guitar."

"And you learned how to play it while you were in Termina?"

"Well, learned is a rather generous word. More so, I remembered. You know how I told you about all the masks there, and how they actually did things to a person?" he asked, continuing when she nodded. "Well, that Zora that I told you about? The one that died? He was a guitar player in a band there. They called themselves the Indigo-Gos. The first time I put his mask on, I just _knew_ how to play. And it stayed with me. So I bought a few guitars to bring back with me."

"Well, it sounded very beautiful, Link. You feeling better? Ready to come back to bed?" she asked.

"I think so, Mal." he said, lifting himself out of the chair.

Lying down, she discarded Link's shirt, throwing it back into the chair she had grabbed it from. She pulled the covers away from his spot next to her and patted the bed. Link smiled at her, getting the message. He sat down on the edge of the bed and discarded the shirt that he had put on to keep the cold out. He threw it onto the chair to keep the other one company.

He lay down and pulled the covers over both him and Malon. She immediately found her way into the crook of his arm, draping one of her arms over his chest. She closed her eyes and let her fingers find the closest raising of his skin, absently tracing up and down the scar as both of them drifted off to sleep.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The next morning, it seemed to Malon as if the whole of Goron City had turned out to see them off. There were an awful lot of them, and Malon wasn't entirely sure where they all stayed. Goron City didn't seem to be large enough to house the numbers that had shown up. She hoped she wasn't going to be expected to remember the named of all the Gorons that she had been introduced to yesterday and today.

Link-Goro made his way through the crowds, shoving aside the Gorons that didn't move.

"Outta the way! Outta the way! I'm the Big Brother here, let me through!" Link-Goro roared.

Link grinned at the antics of his brother, acting as though he was just a young Goron, and not the leader of an entire tribe. It was good, though. The tribe respected him, and they were happy that he didn't act too high and mighty. Although he _had_ developed a bit of an ego over the years. After all, the Goron tribe had gained quite a bit of prestige after they had helped rebuild Castle Town, and these days people came from far and wide to hire Goron workers for many of their construction projects.

"So, brother, you're leaving again? Not going to vanish for years this time, are you?" the Goron asked, pushing the final Goron out of his way.

"I wasn't planning on it. I believe I still owe you a bit of heroing, don't I, brother?" Link responded.

"You mean the Temple?" Link-Goro asked. Link nodded, and his brother continued. "It's really alright, Link. They haven't been any trouble. They pretty much keep to themselves. We haven't seen much of them. Although, I'm surprised that they're still alive. We've never seen them come out, and the rocks can't have sustained them for this long."

"Well, be that as it may, I still promised to take care of them. I'll come back in a while. But for now, I'll be taking a vacation from the hero business. Too many holes, not enough recovering."

"You drop by when you can, Link. You've always got a room here. You too, Malon. Though, it sounds like you'll just be sticking to his room, am I right?"

Malon turned bright red as she figured out what he was implying. "Wait a minute…"

"Well, Malon, it seems we've been caught." Link told her, pulling her close to him. "Just forget anything you heard, brother. It's probably better for you anyway."

"I'll do that." he said.

"Well, we're going to get out of your hair now, brother. I'll see you when I come back to help."

"I'd appreciate it. But take your time. We don't want Malon feeling abandoned."

"Damn right, Link. You might not like what I do to you if that were to happen." she said.

"I hate you, Link-Goro. You put that idea in her head."

"You know what, maybe you should leave. Before I get you in any more trouble."

"I think that sounds like a fantastic idea. I'll see you later brother."

"See ya, Link. And you too, Malon."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Pausing to catch their breath, Link and Malon looked around at the village around them. Both were exhausted from their trek down the mountain. The sun had been out all day, beating down on the two of them. Halfway down the mountain, Malon had no longer been able to walk, and had insisted that Link give her a piggyback ride. He hadn't fought, instead just silently lifting her up onto his back.

And now, they were standing at the gate between Kakariko Village and Death Mountain Trail. They were heading back to the ranch for some well deserved relaxation time. Link carefully set Malon down on a nearby bench, sitting down next to her. Sighing, Malon spoke up.

"Link, I'm sorry that I made you carry me halfway down the mountain." she said, looking at him.

"Malon, it's okay. I really don't mind. After all, what am I here for?" Link told her. "Besides, it's the least I can do. You are providing me with a roof over my head and food in my stomach, after all. What would I do without you?"

"Link, don't think that you need to repay me for anything. I love having you staying with me." she told him. "Hey Link, while we're here, can we go visit my dad? He's been living here in Kakariko ever since he retired."

"Sure Malon." Link said, gulping.

_"I wonder what kind of things Talon is going to want to talk about?"_ Link thought fearfully.

* * *

**Oooo. Dinner with the father of the girls he's sleeping with. Sure, he's met Talon before, but who knows what'll go down now? Let just hope that neither of them slip up, or Link might be a dead man.**

**Anyway, so now Link is a guitar player. I can picture it. I fully believe that he remembers everything that happens to him when he's transformed. And when he was a Zora, he could play. Quite well. So that's my story and I'm sticking to it.**

**By the way: I do not own Overkill by Colin Hay. That's the song that Link sang. **

**Oh, and another by the way. I've started brainstorming some ideas for my next Malink story. So here's a juicy preview. This one's going to be set in a more modern Hyrule. Technologically on par with us. Link and Mal are college freshman, and we get to watch the hijinks that ensue. Don't worry, many of the other characters you know and love will also be playing big parts in the story. So tell me what you think.**

**Until next time,**

**BlakBlt2**


	10. Future Father In Law of the Hero?

**Chapter 10: Future Father-In-Law of the Hero?**

Link and Malon made their way through Kakariko Village, heading towards one of the newer parts that had been built while Link had been gone. Malon had informed Link that when he had vanished, her father had come back to the ranch to help her with the daily tasks. Life on the ranch had returned to some semblance of what it had been while Link was sleeping in the Temple of Time. But once they'd hired on Joseph, her father had started helping out less and less. He'd told her that he'd wanted her to learn firsthand how to run the ranch. And then, about 6 months ago, he'd packed up his things and come back to Kakariko. He'd gotten himself a small house in the new section of Kakariko, and Malon had heard that he was enjoying himself.

She hadn't gotten to see her father since he'd left the ranch. Joseph had kept her on the ranch, and eventually she hadn't complained much. But now that they were here, she wanted to see him so badly. He was her father, after all, and she was a daddy's girl. He'd been all she had for so long.

"Link, you don't need to look so nervous. You've met my dad already, and he really seems to like you." Malon said, nudging Link's side with her elbow.

"Yeah. You're right Mal…Malon. This is…this is going to be fine." Link said, stumbling with his words. His fear was evident in his eyes.

"Link, I'm serious. My dad isn't going to kill you. He's told me on multiple occasions that he really likes you." she told him, hoping to reassure him.

"Really? He said that?" Link asked, perking up slightly.

"Yes Link. He said that."

--Flashback--

"_Hey Malon." her father said, walking up to her. She had just said goodbye to Link, who had stopped by for a visit. Apparently, he was headed off to the desert._

"_Hi daddy." she responded, not bothering to turn around._

"_Link just leave?" he asked._

"_Yeah." she told him, staring at the ground._

"_You know, Malon. I like that kid. He's doing something for the good of everyone else. Doesn't even seem to care about himself. I just hope he makes it back okay."_

"_I do too, daddy. He's really important to me. My first friend."_

"_You keep telling yourself that, Malon. But just so you know, he's the only guy I'd ever approve of. Remember that." her dad said, his face the model of seriousness._

"_I'll remember that, daddy." she said calmly. Inside, though, she was jumping for joy._

--Flashback—

"Okay, Mal. Then hopefully he still does." Link said, exhaling.

"Come on, scaredy cat." she cried, grabbing his hand and dragging him down the street. Her dad hadn't told her much about his new place, and she hoped that his neighbors would be able to point them in the right direction.

She walked her way through the streets, pulling Link along behind her. She was looking for some sort of store whose owner could point them in the right direction. She saw a fruit stand nearby, and headed that direction. The owner was sitting in a chair out front, rocking back and forth, waiting for customers to stop by.

"Howdy folks." he said, when they were close enough for him to realize they were headed his way. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm actually looking for someone. I was hoping that you could at least give us a general idea of where to be looking." Malon said, as Link looked over the selection of fruit. He picked up a bunch of bananas, turning them over in his hand.

"Who are you looking for?" the old man asked.

"I'm looking for my father. Talon. He used to run the ranch out in the field, but he retired and moved out here."

"Talon? You're his little girl? Talon's told me a lot about you, missy. Him and I, we're good friends. We get together a lot, play some chess. Old man stuff." he said, grinning. "Let me just close up and I'll take you over that way. He'll be real glad to see you."

"You'd do that? But it's so early." Malon told him.

"Well, I don't usually get a lot of business during the day." He responded, picking himself out of the chair and pulling down the screen to protect his business.

The old man started walking off down the street, and Malon, grabbing Link's hand once again, followed after him. They walked for the next 5 minutes, Malon asking the old man about her father and how he was doing in Kakariko. According to this man, her father's friend, he'd kept a lot to himself lately. Hadn't even come out of the house for the last week.

Finally, they arrived at a small, quaint looking house. Their guide pointed at it, saying "This is the house you're looking for. I'll just be heading back now. You say hello to your father for me."

Malon pulled Link up to the door, ignoring the fear that was evident on his face.

"Malon. Are you sure we can't leave? What if your father changed his mind?" Link asked her, slightly trembling in his place.

"Link! I have not seen my father for almost 6 months. So shut up, and just deal with it. Or you can find somewhere else to sleep tonight!" she yelled, finally loosing her patience with him.

He gulped, but was otherwise silent, allowing Malon to knock on the door.

Slowly, the door creaked open, the figure behind it hunched and slightly pale. He immediately brightened up, seeing the two of them standing in his doorway. Malon lunged forward, wrapping her arms around his frail frame.

"Daddy!" she cried.

"Malon! This is quite a surprise! What brings you here? And who's your friend?" Talon asked, peering at Link.

"Daddy, you know who this is. It's Link."

"Link? What happened to you, m'boy? Malon told me that you'd just up and left. This true? You just leave my girl to fend for herself?"

Link held his hands up in defense, hoping that Talon wouldn't attack. "Never, sir. I would never willingly leave Malon. I got forced into another adventure."

"Ah. Off being a hero again, were you? I suppose that's a good reason. Just try not to vanish again."

"I won't." Link said, relaxing now that he knew Talon wouldn't kill him.

"Now, Malon. What brings you all the way out here? And what about the ranch? Joseph running things while you're gone?"

"No, daddy. Joseph isn't with us anymore."

"You fired him?" Talon asked, surprised. Joseph had always been an exemplary worker.

"No, daddy. He was a bad man. Link had to arrest him. He was working for Ganondorf." she told him.

Talon was confused, but decided not to press the issue. If Link was convinced of it, then there was no reason to say anything about it.

"Well, let's not worry about that. Come in, come in. I'll put some tea on. You two can tell me everything that I missed out on."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"It was really great to see you, daddy. I'll definitely be stopping by a lot more often." Malon said.

"You're more than welcome here any time, dear. And you too, Link. You take care of Malon for me, okay." Talon said, pointing his finger at Link.

"I will Talon. Mal, can I talk to your dad for a minute?" Link asked, looking her in the eyes.

"Sure Link." she responded.

"In private, Mal. Please?" he pleaded.

"Okay. I'll just wait right outside. Be quick, though." Malon told him, closing the front door behind her.

She sat down on the small bench across from her father's house, watching for the door to open and for Link to step outside. She glanced down the street, worrying that someone was going to bother her. She wasn't scared that she'd get hurt, but rather didn't want to have to hurt anyone else. She knew how to take care of herself, and she did carry that dagger that Link had given her. She'd grabbed it right before she'd left the ranch.

From around the nearby corner, Malon made out a figure walking down the street near her. She glanced worriedly as the figure came closer. Moving under the torchlight, she could see that it was a man that was making his way towards her, and she saw that she had been noticed. He also looked to be quite drunk, if his staggering about was saying anything.

When he opened his mouth, her fears were confirmed. "Hey baby. How's about you come back with me to my place? I'll show you a good time."

"I don't think so, bud." she responded, reaching for her dagger. Before she could grab it, his hands were around both of her wrists, pinning them to the wall behind her.

"It wasn't really a question, bitch. I was just trying to be nice." He spat, glancing down, trying to check out her body.

"I told you no, jackass." she said, bringing her forehead into his face.

Son of a…" he screamed, reeling back and clutching his face in agony. "I'm going to fucking kill you, bitch! But not until I have my fun."

"Not gonna happen." said a voice behind him, right before a fist connected with the drunk's cheek, forcing his head to snap around to the side. Malon could hear bones snap from the force of the punch, and the man crumpled to the ground, his neck snapped.

From his position on the ground, the man's eyes glanced around fearfully. It was clear that the punch hadn't killed him, but Link doubted that he'd be moving anything below his neck. Crouching down, Link brought his face as close to the drunk's as he could.

"How about you remember this lesson the next time you try speaking to a lady?" Link said.

The man could only moan, but Link took that to be his answer. Standing up, he wrapped his arm around Malon's waist, and before they left, knocked on Talon's door. When he answered, Link informed him of what happened. Talon thanked Link for protecting his daughter, and promised to do something in the morning.

"Come on Malon. Let's get you home." Link said, dragging her away from the man on the ground.

"Link, you didn't have to do that. I can take care of myself." Malon told him, looking up at him.

"I know you can, Mal. But he threatened to kill you. He threatened to take you away from me. I just snapped." Link said, smiling at her.

"It's okay, Link. Just try not hurt anyone else too much, ok?"

"Well, Mal. I can't promise anything."

"Oh, fine, Link. That's ok. At least I'll know that I'm safe."

"I love you, Mal."

"I love you too, Link. Even if you are crazy."

Link just laughed as the headed back to the ranch.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Malon opened her eyes, letting the glare from the window blind her. As soon as her eyes adjusted to the brighter light, she got up and walked over to the window. Peering out, she squealed. Rushing over to the bed, she jumped the last 5 or so feet, landing square on Link's chest. His eyes shot open as the air rushed from his lungs.

All Link could do was stare at Malon as he gasped for breath. The look on his face told Malon all she needed to know, and she spoke up, stopping him from saying whatever he was about to say.

"Oh, don't give me that look." she said, bending over to give him his customary good morning kiss. "You weren't complaining about me being on top of you last night, were you?"

That shut him up.

"Guess what, Link. It snowed! It really snowed! Go look!" she cried, shoving him out of the bed.

He made his way over to the window and glanced outside, before turning around and coming back to the bed. He grunted as he wormed his way back under the cover, closing his eyes once he was situated.

Malon, however, wasn't going to let that slide. Moving from where she sat on the side of the bed, she positioned herself on his chest, and began bouncing up and down.

"Wake up. Wake up. Wake up." she said, not stopping even when eyes opened again.

"Yes, Malon?" he asked, watching her continue to bounce. She did, after all, still sleep naked.

"It's winter! Why aren't you excited?" she asked.

"Winter isn't really my thing, Mal. I'm not a fan of the cold weather." he informed her.

"But why?" she whined, never stopping her bouncing.

"I'm just too used to the warm. It didn't usually snow in the forest when I was growing up, and then I was asleep for 7 years. My adventure never coincided with winter, and a lot of the Temples were in the warm areas. The forest, the mountain, the desert. Hell, even the graveyard was unusually warm."

"I guess you've got a point there." she said, ceasing her bouncing and thoughtfully rubbing her chin. "Well, we're going to fix that, fairy boy. Go get bundled up. We're going out."

"Do we have to, Malon? Can't we just spend the next 3 months inside, just you and me." he asked, hoping this would tempt her enough.

"As wonderful as that sounds, Link, you're not going to change my mind. Now. Go. Get. Bundled. Up." she said, glaring at him until he hauled himself out of the bed.

"Fine. Fine. Just give me a minute." he grumbled.

Malon went over to her closet, opening the door to look for something warm to wear out. Her eyes landed on a large black jacket, stuffed with cucco feathers and lined with wool. Her father had given it to her when he'd decided it fit her, and said it had belonged to her mother. She hasn't had a chance to wear it yet, and decided that today would be a great day to break it in.

Slipping into a pair of jeans and her warm boots, she grabbed her jacket and walked downstairs to wait for Link.

She didn't have to wait for long, as Link joined her 5 minutes later. He was sporting a dark green hooded sweatshirt, embroidered with a golden Triforce over his heart. On his head, he was wearing a beanie, whose color matched his sweatshirt. He had also put on a pair of jeans and his boots.

"Are you ready to go, Mal?" he asked, staring at her.

"Yes. But I don't want to go far. Let's stay inside the ranch. The wind can pick up suddenly, and then we'd be blind. So lets just stay close to the house."

"Fine with me, Malon." he told her.

"Now come on. I love the snow, and you love me, so therefore, you have to love the snow too." she said matter-of-factly.

"So that's your reasoning?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "Can we just get this over with?"

Opening the door, Link stepped outside, shutting it only when Malon followed him out. He let her get ahead of him, and then stooped over, scooping up a handful of snow. He grinned as he molded the snow into a ball. Closing one eye, he took careful aim at Malon's retreating figure. Tossing his arm forward, he let the snowball fly. He couldn't help the feeling of victory when the snowball landed square on the back of Malon's head, shattering into a million flakes of snow.

Link didn't have the time to stand around and celebrate, however. As quickly as she could, Malon had thrown together a snowball of her own, letting it fly towards the spot where Link had been standing seconds before. Link had already rolled out of the way, his months of adventuring coming back in an instant. He dove behind the wood pile, scooping up snow as he moved.

Malon stared at the wood pile, waiting for Link to pop up. The moment she saw his hair starting to lift up, she let the snowball in her hand go, aiming it at the spot where Link's head would be once the snowball made it that far. Her aim was spot on, and the snowball nailed Link right on the nose. Immediately, he dropped back down.

"What the! What's the big idea, Malon?" Link called from his hiding place. If only he could get her to drop her guard, then he could get her back.

Link peered out from around the woodpile, watching Malon where she stood close to the door. She started to stare closely at the woodpile, leaning forward to watch for Link. Link decided to try and fake her out, moving first to the left side of the pile and acting like he'd be coming out. He grinned when a snowball launched towards the side of the woodpile, then jumped out from the right side of the woodpile, throwing the snowball that he'd prepared. He watched as the snowball sailed towards Malon's face, breaking right on her forehead. Malon fell to the ground, clutching at her face.

"Ah! What the hell, Link! That really fucking hurt!" Malon cried.

Link immediately abandoned the snowball he been putting together, rushing to Malon's side and yelling apologies.

"Malon, I'm so sorry! Are you okay? Please forgive me!" Link begged, hoping that Malon hadn't suffered any serious damage.

"Link. It's alright. I'll be okay soon." she muttered.

"You will?"

Suddenly, Malon's face rose to look Link in the eyes. He couldn't help but notice the evil glint in her eyes, before his entire vision went white. He lost all feeling in his face, since the cold from the snow that Malon had shoved in his face had numbed the nerves.

"I'll be just fine, Link." she said, grinning. "Payback's a bitch, Link. And don't always fall for the damsel in distress."

"I'll remember that, Mal. Can we go in now? I'm s...s...s...so cold." Link said, his teeth chattering.

"Sure, Link. You've endured more than enough for me. We can go curl up next to the fire together."

Link continued to shiver as he made his way to the house, pausing at the door to sneeze. Shaking his head, he opened the door and headed in, making sure that Malon was inside before closing the door again. Unfortunately, his sweatshirt and pants were soaked, and so he headed up to the bedroom in order to change into something dry and warm.

He headed back downstairs in a plain white t-shirt, along with a pair of green cotton pants. He sighed, since the pants were incredibly warm. He was feeling a little better already. Peeking into the kitchen, he caught sight of Malon standing at the stove boiling water. She hadn't changed yet, mainly because Link had rushed upstairs as soon as they'd come inside.

"Malon, you can go change now, if you want. I'm sorry I rushed up right away, without checking if you wanted to change." Link said, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"It's okay Link. You were soaked. Just watch the water for me. I was going to make some hot tea for us." she responded.

"Okay Mal. I'll watch it. Just go get changed." Link said, giving her a gentle push towards the bedroom.

As Malon walked upstairs, she could hear Link sneeze again. _"I hope he's not getting sick. I'll have to check on him again later." _Malon thought.

When Malon came back downstairs, she found Link pouring the hot water into two cups. He was shivering as he moved around, looking through the cupboards for the rest of the tea ingredients.

"Malon." He called out, hearing her footsteps on the stairs. "Can you start a fire? I'm freezing over here. Is a window open?"

"No Link. All the windows are shut. I'll start a fire, you just come out here and sit down. Let me take care of the tea." she said, walking into the kitchen and maneuvering Link out over to the couch.

She placed the palm of her hand across Link's forehead, taking quick stock of his temperature.

"Ah Link. You've got a cold. I'm sorry. I made you go out with me, and now you're sick because of it."

"Malon, it's okay. I'll be fine, I can still be useful." he said, sneezing once again.

"No, Link. You lay down. I'll be taking care of you until you get better." she commanded, forcing him back down to the couch.

"Yes doctor." he grumbled, pouting.

"Stop being a baby. I'm going to make you some soup." she told him.

Malon made her way back into the kitchen and put some more water on to boil. While she waited, she whipped together two cups of tea, stirring some honey into one cup. That one was for Link, just in case his throat came under viral attack. Walking back out to the couch, she sat down on the couch with Link, waiting as he maneuvered his head into her lap. She handed him the cup of tea, and then absentmindedly stroked his hair.

"You shouldn't be out more than a couple of days, Link. You just need some rest. Looks like you get to stay inside after all." she said, speaking more to break the silence than anything else.

"What about the animals, Mal?" he asked her.

"Not much changes. They're just going to need some extra hay to keep warm. Everything else runs pretty much the same."

"Oh. Got it. I'm sorry I can't help you, Malon."

"It's okay, Link. You just need to get some rest and get better. That's all I want from you. For now, at least." she said, winking at him.


	11. Author's Note

**Hey Guys!**

**BlakBlt2 here. I know that it's been awhile since I've added onto my stories…5 months to be exact. I could make excuses, but that's not how I roll. Just know that I'm back to writing. And know that I'm not the kind of person to leave a story unfinished, and if it did have to happen, you would at least know. I wouldn't just vanish. I've seen enough of those stories out there, and they annoy me to no end.**

**If you're reading my other story as well, "Life After Near Death", then please know that it is being placed on the proverbial back burner. I started that one when I had a raging fire in my belly to write some Death Note fics, and that fire has since dwindled quite a bit. I could probably go ahead and spit out some stuff real quick, but I know that anything I write under those conditions would suck horribly. I really like to take pride in what I put out there, and couldn't, in good conscious, give my readers something that I knew I hadn't tried my hardest on.**

**So, I'll be focusing on "Living With the Hero" and might be starting another Zelda fanfic staring Link and Midna. There really aren't enough out there, and I think that it's something that's really overlooked. I've also got some ideas for it that would let you, the reader, have a say in how the story goes. Not the overall story, but certainly the details. I want to try a kind of "Choose Your Own Adventure" idea. Maybe Link's got to go rescue Midna from someone's evil clutches…He can go retrieve the Master Sword first, or rush off ill-equipped. Grabbing the Master Sword, he might win, but you might miss out on a very touching Link\Midna scene where she's nursing him back to health in the dungeons. It's all up to the readers. Naturally, however, this would mean that for these particular chapters, I couldn't even start writing until a decision had been reached, but I think it'd be nice to let the readers have a say in the shape of the story.**

**But for now, I'm starting chapter 11 of "Living With the Hero". Look back here for that particular chapter, as it will probably be replacing this Author's Note (I think leaving the Author's Note here just detracts from the story for those readers who come along later, having to stop and read something that's outdated if the new chapter goes up). If you want to, head over to my profile, and work your way to the forums. All of my in-progress (that I'm working on) stories will have a forum here, and you can discuss the story here, and keep an eye out, because I might just leave some chapter previews here too. ;)**

**So, until the chapter is out, this is farewell.**

**Peace,**

**BlakBlt2**


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